Meghalaya: Garo group demands next MPSC chairman from their community, threatens protests

A tribal rights organisation has called on the Meghalaya government to appoint a member of the Garo community as the next chairman of the Meghalaya Public Service Commission (MPSC), warning of statewide protests if their demand is not met.

The A'chik Conscious Holistically Integrated Krima (ACHIK) petitioned Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, arguing that the appointment should follow what they describe as an established rotational principle between the state's two major indigenous groups.

"We strongly demand that the next Chairman of the Meghalaya Public Service Commission be appointed from the Garo category, in accordance with the rotational principle and in restoration of the rightful balance," ACHIK stated in their petition. "If this demand is ignored, we will be compelled to take statewide protest actions and explore legal recourse."

The organisation cited the Meghalaya State Reservation Policy of 1972, which allocates 40% reservation each to the Khasi-Jaintia and Garo communities. ACHIK claims the chairmanship of the MPSC has traditionally alternated between these two indigenous groups.

Their petition also referenced an April 2022 Meghalaya High Court order that emphasized the need for a transparent roster system in implementing reservation policies. According to ACHIK, "appointing yet another Chairman from the same category would violate both the letter and the spirit of the Reservation Policy and the High Court's directives."

The controversy comes after the state government recently appointed Badarius Shylla as chairperson in-charge of the MPSC, alongside three members: Aloysius Ch Marak, Lester Pathaw, and Sanjive K Marak. The selection of a permanent chairman will be determined by a government-appointed committee.