How demand for a winter capital in Meghalaya led to protests outside CM’s office

Manipur, Mizoram and now Meghalaya. Violence was witnessed in the northeastern state of Meghalaya on Monday night when an agitated crowd attacked the chief minister’s secretariat in the western town of Tura. Five police personnel have been injured in the incident, which has also led to an immediate imposition of night curfew in the area. “What happened today was very unfortunate. We have the entire video recording of the people who instigated the violence and necessary action will be taken according to the law,” Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said of the incident. But why did a mob attack the CMO and what exactly happened on Monday evening? What are the demands of those protesting? What happened on Monday? While Chief Minister Sangma was at the Mini Secretariat in Meghalaya’s Tura holding discussions with representatives of the Achik Conscious Holistically Integrated Krima (ACHIK) and the Garo Hills State Movement Committee (GHSMC) on Monday night, an agitated crowd collected outside the office and began pelting stones at the premises. The authorities claim that the mob was at least 200-300-people strong and were angry and began pelting stones at the premises. In the ensuing violence, they injured five police officials, set a police vehicle on fire and damaged two other fire tenders.

In an attempt to quell the violence, the authorities then used tear gas and lathi-charged the demonstrators. An NDTV report had CM Sangma quoted as saying, “I believe that dialogue is important. After the discussion was almost over, we heard sloganeering from outside. I asked them not to create any scene out here. Their leaders (of the NGOs in talks) went outside to speak to the people. They came back and said they did not know who these people were.” He added that the representatives themselves had to take refuge in the office with him, as they were unable to leave. In the aftermath of the incident, a night curfew has been imposed in the area. Additionally, the chief minister has announced Rs 50,000 as ex-gratia payment for the injured personnel and said their medical expenses will also be borne by the state government. Why the protest though? Monday night’s protest stems from the demand by the ACHIK – a social organisation from Garo Hills – to establish Tura, the headquarters of the Garo Hills region in Meghalaya, as the winter capital of the state. The leaders of ACHIK also have gone on an indefinite hunger strike over the issue since 11 July, demanding that Tura be made into the winter capital for six months – from October to March. Earlier in April, they had petitioned the chief minister to declare Tura as the capital in keeping with the long-cherished dream and the promise of the government since statehood. The petition, duly signed by ACHIK president Thomas M Marak, vice-president Greneth M Sangma and general secretary advocate Bernita R Marak, stated: “The delay in implementing this proposal would further delay the success and achievement of good governance that the NDA government, of which the present MDA 2.0 government is an ally, has been advocating for years and has been doing well in practice too. The decentralisation and devolution of power would also ensure that the government is more accessible to the people and their needs can be addressed more effectively.” In the petition, they stated that the establishment of a winter capital would ensure equitable distribution of development and administration across the state. This would lead to the overall upliftment of the people of Meghalaya, and not just a particular region. It further added that a second capital in Tura will reduce the geo-physical barrier, adding that it will take more time to reach Shillong from Garo Hills. Moreover, Tura experiences relatively mild weather conditions during the winter months, which makes it an ideal location for the winter capital. “The creation of a winter capital in Tura can be the greatest avenue that a state government can create for the Khasi-Jaintia brethren to explore Garo Hills. This can significantly improve the communication and relationship between the two ethnic groups and promote mutual understanding and respect besides communal harmony,” it had underscored. ACHIK also pointed out that other states have different capitals, for example Andhra Pradesh with three capitals, Himachal Pradesh with two, Jammu and Kashmir having two, among others. President of ACHIK Krima Council, Thomas M Marak, was quoted as by The Meghalayan as saying, “It is tragic to know that although the winter capital or second capital in Tura had been an agreed policy of the pioneers of the Meghalaya state, yet, it has just remained a distant dream with no actual policy for implementation even after 51 years of Meghalaya’s statehood.” Just hours before Sangma met with the representatives from ACHIK, BJP leader Bernard N Marak had said that the chief minister should declare Tura as the winter capital. However, not everyone is on board with ACHIK’s demand for a winter capital. Ampareen Lyngdoh, who serves as the state’s health minister, has rejected the demand for Tura as a winter capital. When asked about the hunger strike, she had been quoted as saying, “It would not be correct to consider any kind of a capital anywhere else. We are in Shillong, it is the capital and we hope that these demands should not be entertained. That is my personal view because we will be in trouble if every district starts saying ‘bring this to my district bring that to my district’ it will be difficult for us to administrate.” Will Monday’s violence spur authorities into granting the demand of a winter capital or will it push back the situation? Only time will tell. With inputs from agencies