Shillong, September 19, 2026: The All Khasi Hills Achik Joint Action Committee has raised concerns over what it described as the Meghalaya Government’s failure to address the long-pending demands of the Garo community living in different parts of the Khasi Hills.
Committee president Manuel C.H. Marak raised the issues while addressing a public meeting of Garo residents at Sildubi, Malangkona, in West Khasi Hills on September 19. Organisers claimed that nearly 5,000 people attended the meeting.
Marak said the Committee had submitted its demands to the Government several months ago but alleged that no satisfactory response had been received. He urged the NPP-led MDA Government, headed by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, to intervene and address the concerns through dialogue.
A key demand relates to the appointment of teachers in Garo-medium schools. Marak said teachers appointed to such schools should be proficient in speaking, reading and writing Garo, arguing that familiarity with the language was important for effective classroom instruction and the preservation of the community’s mother tongue and cultural identity.
The Committee also demanded that Garo villages in the Khasi Hills be administered by Garo headmen. Marak said the community should be able to manage its internal village affairs in accordance with its customs and traditional practices.
Another major concern was the language paper in Khasi Hills District Selection Committee (DSC) recruitment examinations. Marak said Garo candidates should not be compelled to write a Khasi-language paper while competing for government posts.
He instead called for the language paper to be made optional, allowing candidates to choose a language they are familiar with. According to Marak, this would provide equal opportunities to candidates from different indigenous communities.
“Every citizen has the right to preserve his or her mother tongue. The Constitution of India has guaranteed this right, along with equality and equal opportunities,” Marak said.
He further said Garo residents who were born and brought up in the Khasi Hills should not be treated as outsiders or denied opportunities, adding that they had contributed to the development of Meghalaya.
Marak stressed that the Committee respected the Khasi community and other communities in the state but would oppose policies or decisions it considered discriminatory against Garo residents in the Khasi Hills.
“We respect every community, but we will never tolerate discrimination. Nobody has the right to deprive us of our constitutional rights,” he said.
The Committee president also said the organisation would examine legislation and government policies affecting the linguistic, educational and traditional rights of the Garo community. If it found any measure discriminatory, he said, the Committee would oppose it through democratic means.
While warning that the movement could be intensified if the Government continued to ignore the demands, Marak said the Committee preferred that the issues be resolved through dialogue and peacefully.
“We do not want our students to lose their rights and opportunities. We will continue to fight for our rights until the Government listens to us,” he said.
