Meghalaya’s leader of opposition Mukul Sangma on Saturday urged the state government to institute an independent commission of inquiry into the Garo Hills violence, stating that accountability and due process were essential to restore public confidence.
In a petition to Governor CH Vijayashankar, Sangma flagged a “serious law and order situation” in the Garo Hills region, which he said stemmed from a series of developments linked to the elections to the tribal Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC).
He said tensions escalated over demands by certain civil society organisations representing the Garo community to bar non-tribals from contesting the GHADC polls, the issuance of a notification by the then chief executive member of the council, and a meeting held in Phulbari area by a former MLA, which allegedly had wider ramifications.