Guwahati: More than 2,000 members of the Garo community from across the Khasi Hills gathered at Mallangkona in West Khasi Hills on Saturday, opposing the compulsory Khasi language qualifying test for District Selection Committee (DSC) recruitment and demanding that Garo be included as an alternative.
The gathering was held at the Sildubi Mini Playground and was jointly organised by several local bodies, including the Mallangkona Area Development Organisation (MADO), Mallangkona Area Council of Headmen, Mallangkona Women’s Federation, Mallangkona Youth Multi-Purpose Society, Achik Krima Mallangkona Regional Unit and the Mallangkona Area VO and SHG.
The protesters said they had no objection to Khasi being offered as a language for the DSC examination. Their concern, they said, was making Khasi compulsory for candidates appearing for recruitment in the Khasi Hills, where a significant Garo population has lived for generations.
MADO general secretary Manuel Ch Marak said many Garo residents in the region can communicate in Khasi but face difficulties with reading and writing the language.
He alleged that the current recruitment provision could disadvantage Garo candidates and called for equal consideration of the state’s tribal communities.
The protest follows a January 2026 government memorandum on DSC recruitment, under which candidates in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills districts are required to take a qualifying paper in Khasi, while applicants in the Garo Hills districts are required to appear for the corresponding Garo language paper.
Community representatives argued that applying the requirement according to district boundaries overlooks Garo communities residing in the Khasi Hills, many of whom have longstanding ties to the area.
Marak expressed concern that the policy could affect the prospects of Garo youth seeking government employment and could also weaken the use of the Garo language among communities living in the Khasi Hills.
MADO president John Sangma said the organisation had previously raised the issue with Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, both Deputy Chief Ministers and the Governor. According to Sangma, assurances received from the government had not resolved their concerns, particularly after the provision became part of the recruitment framework.
The organisers said they would continue their campaign if the government did not reconsider the policy. United Achik Youth Federation secretary Zimichrist G Marak said the community wanted a peaceful resolution but would continue pressing for changes to what they described as an unfair provision.
The group plans to hold similar meetings in other parts of the Khasi Hills and approach legislators across Meghalaya to build support for its demand.
The protesters said their primary request was for both Khasi and Garo to be available as language options in DSC recruitment tests, rather than restricting candidates based on the district in which they reside or seek employment.
The meeting also raised other community-related demands, including the appointment of Garo headmen in areas with significant Garo populations in the Khasi Hills and the recruitment of Garo-language teachers for schools where the language is offered as a subject.
The organisers said they would allow the government a short period to review the recruitment provision before deciding on further action.