Shillong: Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong ordered state officials to block Assam from conducting parallel census and State Information Report exercises in border villages. Meghalaya has already finished its own data collection in these regions. Tynsong confirmed he instructed the Chief Secretary to raise complaints directly with Assam whenever officials encroach on areas like Langpih and Mukroh. Tynsong claims the Assam government has generally cooperated when these jurisdictional disputes arise.
Separately, the Garoland State Movement Committee, Pedaldoba unit, accused Assam of using intimidation to force residents into their census registry. The group claims officials from Goalpara, Assam, trespassed into Saltopgre, Kurung, Pedaldoba, Rongsai, and nearby hamlets on September 10. They allege the officials used threats regarding the loss of welfare schemes to coerce locals. The committee stated, “They claimed that vital government benefits—ration, PMAY, MGNREGA—will be snatched away if they do not toe their line and comply.”
The group argues these residents hold valid Scheduled Tribe status and GHADC rights under Meghalaya. They cite the 1920 Garo Hills map and Samson’s Geography as historical proof that the disputed villages sit firmly within Meghalaya territory. The GSMC labeled the census efforts as cartographic aggression and a fraud on the Constitution. They urged Chief Minister Conrad Sangma to deploy a Border Magistrate and a District Census Officer to conduct a formal fact-finding mission. The committee also requested an immediate directive to the Registrar General of India to halt the unauthorized registration process.
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