SHILLONG, Sept 20: More than 2,000 members of the Garo community from different parts of the Khasi Hills gathered at Mallangkona in West Khasi Hills to protest against the requirement for candidates to take Khasi as a compulsory language in District Selection Committee (DSC) recruitment examinations.
The gathering at the Sildubi Mini Playground was organised jointly by several local organisations, including the Mallangkona Area Development Organisation (MADO), Mallangkona Area Council of Headmen, Mallangkona Women’s Federation, Mallangkona Youth Multi-Purpose Society, Achik Krima Mallangkona Regional Unit and Mallangkona Area VO and SHG.
Participants welcomed the provision allowing both Khasi and Garo in DSC recruitment examinations but opposed making Khasi compulsory for candidates appearing in the Khasi Hills.
Organisers said the requirement could affect thousands of Garos who had lived in the Khasi Hills for generations and potentially restrict their access to government employment. MADO general secretary Manuel Ch Marak said many Garos could speak or understand Khasi but were not necessarily familiar with the Khasi script. He described the requirement as discriminatory and called for Garo to remain an option in recruitment examinations.
MADO president John Sangma said the organisation had raised the issue with Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, the two Deputy Chief Ministers and the Governor, seeking assurances that the provision would not disadvantage the Garo community. He said the Governor had indicated that the legislation could be struck down if found discriminatory, but the organisers were yet to receive a concrete assurance on whether the provision would be revised or withdrawn.
The community leaders said they would hold further meetings across villages in the Khasi Hills and approach MLAs across Meghalaya if their demands were not addressed.
UAYF secretary Zimichrist G Marak said both Khasi and Garo should be available as language options for proficiency tests under the DSC recruitment system, suggesting a similar arrangement for the Garo Hills region.
The meeting also raised demands for allowing Garos to serve as headmen in the Khasi Hills and ensuring that teachers appointed to teach Garo in schools belonged to the Garo community. The organisers called for dialogue to resolve the issue and said they would continue democratic protests if their concerns remained unaddressed.
