Guwahati: Tension erupted in West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya as clashes began between tribals and non-tribals (Muslims) during the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) election. Two people were killed in police firing during the clashes on March 10, after which the administration imposed an indefinite curfew in the border district. The curfew has been extended till Friday, an official said. No fresh violence has been reported on March 11, but the internet ban will remain in force along with the curfew.
Additional security forces, including some Army columns, have been deployed in the district to prevent any violence, said a district administration official. Two men were killed in the police firing on Tuesday amid clashes between the local tribal community and non-tribals (Bangladeshi origin Muslims) during the nomination process of the GHADC election. After violence erupted, the district administration immediately imposed a curfew and a ban on the internet. The army had been called on to prevent further violence.
The violence initially started in the Chibinang area, and police had to resort to firing to control the situation, said SP Abraham T Sangma. Five columns of the Army have been deployed to control the situation along with state police and paramilitary forces. It should be noted that Chibinang has become a Bangladeshi-origin Muslim pocket, outnumbering the locals, and they hold a majority in many council constituencies in the GHADC election.
Meanwhile, the state government has postponed the district council election amid violence. CM Kanrad Sangama announced that the election has been deferred till April 10 and the state government is closely monitoring the situation. On March 9, violence erupted when Bangladeshi-origin Muslims assaulted former MLA S G Esmatur Mominin in Chibinang area during a nomination rally in Tura.
Meanwhile, a viral video surfaced on social media shows that local Garo people vandalised the Tura Jama Masjid on 11th March, alleging that the mosque has been a centre of illegal activities. Security has been beefed up in Tura town after the incident.
It should be mentioned that, in January this year ISIS-K threatened indigenous Garo tribes in Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills,to abandon their ancestral lands by 2027 – the latest alarm bell after Bangladesh’s political chaos and inflammatory rhetoric from Dhaka leaders vowing to “capture” India’s Northeast.
The ISIS posters were found on January 28 near Tura Law College and public spots created panic amongst the locals. The English-language warnings zero in on Garo communities in Phubari, Rajabala, Tikrikilla, Sesla, Garobadha, and Turisori – these villages are alongside the volatile Bangladesh border. “Vacate your plots before 2027, or face consequences,” the ISIS posters read, prompting swift police action and heightened fears of jihadist incursions in the peaceful area.
