Shillong, Sep 26: A week after Garo groups in Khasi Hills demanded that Garo be allowed as an option in District Selection Committee (DSC) examinations, the Hynñiewtrep National Youth Movement (HNYM) on Saturday opposed the demand.
HNYM president Louis Dohtdong said allowing candidates to choose Garo in DSC exams in Khasi-Jaintia Hills districts is “not appropriate and should not be permitted.
“Citing Clause 2.2 of the District Level Reservation, he said the 80 per cent combined reservation for Khasi-Jaintia and Garo communities comes with a provision that preference should be given to indigenous residents of the respective districts — Khasi-Jaintia in Khasi-Jaintia Hills and Garo in Garo Hills.
He also referred to the Office Memorandum dated July 24, 2023, which mandates that anyone applying under DSC must clear the local language paper as per combined reservation norms.
“A Khasi-Jaintia candidate can apply in Garo Hills if he passes the Garo paper. Similarly, Garo candidates applying in Khasi-Jaintia Hills must pass the Khasi paper, rather than be allowed to choose Garo,” Dohtdong said.
Last week, more than 2,000 people gathered at Sildubi Mini Playground at Mallangkona in West Khasi Hills, demanding that both Khasi and Garo be offered as options.
At the centre of the protest is the January 2026 government memorandum for DSC recruitment mandating a Khasi qualifying paper in Khasi-Jaintia Hills and Garo in Garo Hills.
Representatives said the order disadvantages Garo youth who settled for generations in border areas like Mallangkona. “We are not against Khasi. But making it compulsory here puts our youth at a disadvantage. Many can speak Khasi but cannot read and write it properly,” MADO general secretary Manuel Ch Marak had said.
The groups have sought review of the provision and also flagged demands for Garo headmen in Garo-dominated villages of Khasi Hills and Garo language teachers in schools.
