Shillong: The All Khasi Hills Achik Joint Action Committee (AKHAJAC) has demanded that both Khasi and Garo languages be included in examinations conducted by District Selection Committees (DSCs) across Meghalaya, arguing that the existing language requirements disadvantage Garo candidates residing in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills.
The organisation held a public meeting at Puksora village in South West Khasi Hills district on Saturday to discuss the difficulties faced by Garo youths appearing for DSC examinations in different districts of the Khasi-Jaintia Hills.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, AKHAJAC leader John D. Sangma said the state government’s recent decision to prescribe Khasi language papers for DSC examinations in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills and Garo language papers in the Garo Hills had placed Garo candidates living in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills at a disadvantage.
He urged the government to reconsider the decision, arguing that both languages should be included in DSC examinations across the state, given their status as official languages of Meghalaya.
“When both Khasi and Garo are now official languages of Meghalaya, why can’t both be included in all DSC examinations across the state?” Sangma said.
He claimed that more than four lakh Garo people reside in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills and stressed that many Garo youths had been born and raised in the region.
“We were born and brought up here in the Khasi Hills. Where are our youths supposed to go after completing their education? The government must understand our situation and review this decision immediately,” he added.
Sangma also warned the MDA government that AKHAJAC would continue organising public meetings in villages inhabited by Garo communities across the Khasi-Jaintia Hills to mobilise public support for its demand, which it described as a matter of justice for Garo youths.
“This is only the beginning. If the government fails to listen to our legitimate demand, the agitation will intensify,” he said.
Hundreds of members of the Garo community residing in the area attended Saturday’s meeting at Puksora. It was the second public meeting organised by AKHAJAC on the issue, following an earlier meeting at Malangkona village in West Khasi Hills district.
