Meghalaya postpones GHADC elections amid clashes, curfew, protests in Garo Hills

THe Meghalaya authorities on midweek postponed the Garo Hills independent dominion Council (GHADC) elections scheduled for apr 10 following days of violence and rising tensions amid protests over the participation of non-tribal candidates.Chief minister Conrad K. Sangma said the government reviewed the situation on the ground before deciding to defer the elections.“Looking at the current situation in Garo Hills and the difficulties being faced by people, the Government of Meghalaya has decided to postpone the GHADC elections,” Sangma said in a video message.The two deaths prompted authorities to impose a 24-hour curfew, call for an Army flag march, and deploy additional forces as tensions continued to spread across the plains belt. The state government had suspended mobile internet services in West Garo Hills for 48 hours to prevent the spread of rumours and inflammatory content on social media.Social activist Cherian G. Momin on Tuesday urged the government to temporarily recall the election schedule in view of the deteriorating law-and-order situation.“In view of the violence and loss of life, the government should consider recalling the GHADC election schedule until legal clarity is obtained,” Momin had said, stressing that peace and constitutional clarity should take precedence over the poll process.District Magistrate R.P. Marak said the restriction was imposed as a preventive measure.“The curfew has been imposed to prevent any breach of peace and to safeguard life and property in view of the prevailing situation,” Marak said.Meanwhile, authorities also clarified that the two deaths reported during the violence in Chibinang were not caused by police firing, citing findings of the post-mortem examination.A senior police officer monitoring the situation said the autopsy indicated the victims died during clashes between rival groups. “One victim suffered injuries from a sharp weapon while the other had bullet injuries from a country-made pistol,” the officer said, adding that neither death was linked to police firearms.The unrest began last week when nominations for the GHADC elections opened and the council sought Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificates from candidates contesting the polls — drawing both support and opposition to the move across the region.The situation worsened after protesters outside the deputy commissioner’s office in Tura allegedly blocked and assaulted former Phulbari MLA Esmatur Mominin from filing his nomination, triggering demonstrations in the plains belt region. The former MLA was rescued by police, and he was seen entering a police vehicle limping and without his left shoe.Authorities have appealed for calm as security forces continue to monitor sensitive areas while the government works to restore normalcy in the Garo Hills.