Chairman of the of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) Pyniaid Sing Syiem today said strict action will be taken against people who misuses Khasi surnames.
Syiem told a delegation of the Khun Hynñiewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) on the matters relating to one Venu Sishupal Rampal who changed his surname to ‘Pariat.’
According to KHNAM leader Thomas Passah, the district council failed to act after they lodged a complaint that Sishupal who claimed to be a member of the Pariat clan, obtained a Scheduled Tribe certificate in 1982 much before the commencement of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District (Khasi Social Custom of Lineage) Act, 1997 due to lack of proper verification by the issuing authority.
Stating that Venu Shishupal Rampal after having illegally taken the clan name “Pariat” has also passed on the same to his children, Passah said the Tang Jait ceremony was also not reported to the registration authority under the Act.
Pointing out that the objective of the Lineage Act was for protecting the interest of the people and at the same time to prevent claims of Khasi status by unscrupulous persons purely for the benefits, concessions or privileges conferred on the Khasis as members of the Schedule Tribe under the Constitution of India Passah said, “We strongly demand that this part of the matter be investigated thoroughly.”
Referring to the Section 4 of the Lineage Act, Passah said that the council should verify the ancestral identity of Rampal and not only rely on his Scheduled Tribe Certificate which could have been issued to him without proper verification.
