Daijiworld Media Network - Shillong

Shillong, Mar 10: Two persons were killed on Monday night after violence broke out in Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills district over a controversial notification barring non-tribals from contesting the April 10 elections to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC).

The circumstances of the deaths were not immediately clear. Clashes erupted in the Chibinang area after dusk and continued late into the night, with reports of confrontations between tribal and non-tribal groups. Several shops were vandalised or set on fire during the unrest, and police reportedly opened fire to restore order.

Authorities had earlier anticipated trouble and imposed a curfew on Monday evening while also suspending mobile internet services across the district. Despite the restrictions, protesters took to the streets defying the curfew.

West Garo Hills District Magistrate Vibhor Aggarwal said the situation remained tense. “Additional forces have been called in. Paramilitary forces, including the CRPF, besides the Army are being deployed. The Army will also stage a flag march,” he said.

Aggarwal added that a peace committee meeting with community leaders was held at the district headquarters in Tura as part of efforts to restore normalcy.

Meanwhile, two non-tribal individuals, including former MLA SG Esmatur Mominin, were allegedly assaulted when they arrived in Tura to file nominations for the GHADC elections. The nomination process began on Monday.

The unrest stems from a notification issued last month by the GHADC making a Scheduled Tribes certificate mandatory for candidates contesting the council elections.

Several organisations have long demanded the exclusion of non-tribals from the council, which was established along with the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council and the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to safeguard tribal rights.

The 30-member GHADC currently has two elected non-tribal members, while the Garo Hills region also has a sizeable non-tribal population.