Leader of the Opposition Dr Mukul Sangma on March 21 demanded an independent Commission of Inquiry into the recent unrest in the Garo Hills, alleging that the violence was a “scripted fallout of political negligence” and a “criminal conspiracy” aimed at influencing the 2026 Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) polls. Sangma submitted a memorandum to Governor C.H. Vijayashankar at Raj Bhavan on Saturday outlining his case.
The memorandum lists a chain of administrative and political triggers that, Sangma says, produced the volatility. He singled out an unresolved demand by Garo civil society groups to bar non-tribals from contesting council elections, a controversial notification issued by the former Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the GHADC, and what he described as an illegal meeting in the Phulbari area called by a former MLA.
Clashes between rival groups over these flashpoints escalated into violence that left two people dead and sent tensions soaring across the Garo Hills districts. Sangma argued that the situation deteriorated because the state government failed to implement preventive measures or act on early intelligence, allowing law and order to spiral.
Warning of wider designs behind the violence, the former chief minister suggested the possible involvement of vested interests and “outside forces inimical to the nation” seeking to create communal rifts. He said the region is now “slowly stabilising” but credited the restoration of calm to interventions by church leaders and senior citizens of West Garo Hills rather than to the state administration.
Calling for strict accountability, Sangma urged the Governor to constitute an independent inquiry to examine the circumstances surrounding the GHADC notification, identify those responsible for the violence, and fix culpability for the “negligence and failure” of public officials who, he says, did not intervene in time.
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2026/03/22/lop-seeks-independent-inquiry-into-gh-unrest/
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Publish Date: 2026-03-22 04:32:00
