The Government of Meghalaya has decided to deploy additional security forces to ensure peaceful conduct of the upcoming elections to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) after a protest prevented a former legislator from filing nomination papers.
The GHADC elections are scheduled to be held on April 10, and the incident occurred on Monday in **Tura, West Garo Hills.
Commissioner and Secretary in-charge of Home and District Council Affairs (DCA), Cyril Diengdoh, said the government has directed all deputy commissioners, including the Deputy Commissioner of West Garo Hills, to hold peace-committee meetings with community leaders to maintain calm.
Speaking to reporters, Diengdoh said the decision was taken after reviewing the situation with all deputy commissioners. Authorities have been instructed to reach out to various communities and appeal for peace following the protest incident.
He also confirmed that the Superintendent of Police of West Garo Hills has requested additional security personnel. The government is currently working on the required deployment after informing the Director General of Police.
Diengdoh assured that more security forces will be sent to the district to ensure that the GHADC elections proceed smoothly and without disruption.
According to officials, a report of crime has been registered in connection with the incident that took place in the morning when one of the candidates attempted to file nomination papers around 10 am but was allegedly prevented from doing so by protesters.
The Deputy Commissioner of West Garo Hills will submit a detailed factual report on the incident to the state government.
When asked about the GHADC order regarding the mandatory Scheduled Tribe certificate for candidates, Diengdoh said the matter has already been taken to the Meghalaya High Court, and the government will wait for the court’s decision.
Meanwhile, officials informed that nomination filing for the GHADC elections began on Monday between 10 am and 3 pm and will continue until March 16, while scrutiny of nomination papers is scheduled for March 17.
However, no candidate filed nomination papers on the first day, as political parties reportedly only collected nomination forms after attending briefings at the Deputy Commissioner’s office.
The government also stated that there is currently no plan to extend the nomination deadline, though authorities are monitoring the situation and will take further decisions depending on developments in the coming days.