Tura, Feb 3,2025: Social Activist from Garo Hills, condemned the meeting was held on the 2nd February 2025 at Nayapara, Mahendraganj, under the banner of Sarvadaliya Sammelan, where deliberations will take place regarding the purported demand for a separate electoral roll for non-tribal residents, within the jurisdiction of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC). Such a demand is not only legally untenable but also a blatant attempt to subvert the constitutional safeguards provided under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, which was enacted specifically to uphold the political, cultural and territorial integrity of Scheduled Tribes.

The GHADC is not a general administrative body, nor is it a platform for political bargaining by non-tribal groups. It is a constitutionally mandated autonomous institution, established with the sole purpose of ensuring self governance and self-determination for the indigenous Garo people. Any effort to restructure its electoral framework in favor of non-tribals constitutes an assault on the constitutional sovereignty of Scheduled Tribes and must be unequivocally rejected said Social Activist Cherian Momin.

The exclusion of non-tribals from the electoral rolls of GHADC is neither an act of discrimination nor a deviation from constitutional principles; rather, it is a protective mechanism enshrined in law to prevent the political marginalization of indigenous communities within
their own jurisdiction. The framers of the Constitution recognized the historical injustices and vulnerabilities faced by Scheduled Tribes, which is why the Sixth Schedule was enacted as an affirmative legal framework to preserve their autonomy. The present demand for non-tribal representation is, therefore, a direct attack on the foundational principles of tribal governance and a constitutional subversion that cannot be tolerated Momin warned.

The Sixth Schedule categorically reserves governance, land tenure, and administrative authority for indigenous communities, and any encroachment by non-tribals into its electoral structure would be a deliberate violation of this constitutional arrangement. Allowing non-tribals to interfere in the governance of GHADC would set a dangerous precedent, leading to demographic and political manipulation that could ultimately result in the disenfranchisement of the very people for whom this autonomous framework was established.

Furthermore, the argument that non-tribal settlers should either be granted electoral rights or be territorially excluded from GHADC is legally flawed. The land they occupy falls within the customary and legal jurisdiction of the Sixth Schedule, and their continued residence in these areas does not grant them the constitutional right to political representation within a tribal self-governing body. If they assert that they do not belong to the governance structure of GHADC, then it logically follows that their continued occupation of tribal land must also be scrutinized under constitutional and customary land tenure laws.

The demand for non-tribal political inclusion in GHADC is not an isolated attempt; it is an existential threat to the self-rule of Scheduled Tribes across India. If such unconstitutional efforts are allowed to succeed, it will create a ripple effect across all Scheduled Areas, gradually eroding the legal safeguards designed to protect tribal self-governance from external interference. This agenda-driven intrusion must be recognized for what it truly is a calculated effort to dilute the exclusive political and administrative rights of the Garo people he added.