Two individuals were killed during violence in the West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya following a contentious notification prohibiting non-tribal candidates from running in the upcoming Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) elections set for April 10. The clashes erupted in the Chibinang area after dusk, leading to vandalism and arson of shops. Authorities resorted to firing shots to regain control, but the circumstances surrounding the fatalities are still unclear.
In anticipation of potential unrest, officials suspended mobile internet services and enforced a curfew on Monday evening; however, this did not deter protesters from taking to the streets. District Magistrate Vibhor Aggarwal reported that the situation in the district is tense, prompting the deployment of additional security personnel, including the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Army, which planned a flag march to maintain order.
A peace committee meeting with local community leaders was convened in Tura to discuss restoring normalcy. Meanwhile, three non-tribal individuals, including former MLA SG Esmatur Mominin, faced assault while attempting to file their nominations in Tura for the GHADC elections. The nomination process commenced on the same day as the violence.
The unrest is rooted in a GHADC notification from the previous month requiring candidates to have a Scheduled Tribes certificate to contest the elections, prompting protests among non-tribal communities. Under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, the GHADC was established to protect tribal rights, allowing for the election of two non-tribal members among its 30 seats, despite the significant non-tribal population within the Garo Hills region.
