Bandh peaceful, stray incidents reported

SHILLONG, AUG 8: The twelve hours Garo hills bandh in all the five districts of Meghalaya demanding a separate Garo state passed off peacefully on Thursday barring stray but minor incidents.

The demand for a separate Garo state comes close on the heel of the UPA government’s decision to create Telangana state.

The Garo Hills State Movement Committee (GHSMC), a conglomeration of various pressure groups and political party like the Garo National Council, spearheading the demands for a separate state for the Garos had given the bandh call.

In Tura, the district headquarters of West Garo hills, shops, business establishments, banks, private offices and educational institutions were closed even as government offices recorded thin attendances across the five districts.

The roads were empty as vehicles were off the road in all districts. GHSMC volunteers enforcing the bandh were detained by the police after a clashed in Phulbari area.

The police claimed that adequate security had been fanned throughout the five districts of Garo hills to maintain law and order.

Meanwhile GHSMC president Augustine Marak said the demand for a Garo state is not anti-constitutional but help the five districts of Garo hills to develop and preserve the culture of the Garo tribe.

Marak informed that the movement for separate Garo state is supported by the people and NGOs in Garo Hills. The A’chik Youth Welfare Organization (AYWO) has backed the movement in Tura while the Garo Students’ Union (GSU) is responsible for mobilizing support for the movement in Williamnagar, the district headquarter of East Garo hills.

The GHSMC was formed in 2012 and is a conglomeration of four organizations including the Garo National Council (GNC) which has a lone MLA Clifford Marak,who has been demanding a separate Garo state for a long time now.- By Our Reporter