The Garo community of Ri-Bhoi, under the banner of the All Ri-Bhoi Garo Headman Association, today organised a public rally at Rangsokuna to demand that headmen of the community’s 56 villages be recognised by the authorities.
Hima Mylliem, under whose jurisdiction the villages fall, had written to the Ri-Bhoi Deputy Commissioner that no-objection certificates (NOCs) and other documents issued by Garo community headmen for various purposes have no legal standing.
The association promised to continue to protest if Hima Mylliem and the KHADC fail to recognise Garo headmen, saying that as indigenous tribals of Meghalaya they are free to live in all parts of the state and practise their own culture and identity.
A petition in this regard will soon be submitted by the association to the authorities.
