Guwahati:

Uttarakhand has become the first state in the country to implement UCC, but the Chief Minister of another hill state has ruled out a similar step. The implementation of Uniform Civil Code is neither practical nor appropriate, given the country’s diverse cultural and tribal communities, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said today.

He, however, acknowledged that certain aspects of civil laws could be made uniform while protecting the rights of indigenous communities.

Pointing at Uttarakhand, which became the first state to implement the UCC while excluding tribal customs from its purview, Mr Sangma said in a country as diverse as India, a Uniform Civil Code is not viable. 

His statement comes amid growing debates on the UCC, with Assam expressing interest in following Uttarakhand’s lead in implementing the code.

“A Uniform Civil Code, as a concept of making sure that everything becomes uniform, is not possible in India,” Mr Sangma said.

“There are tribal and indigenous communities with unique practices that may not align with the uniformity. To impose uniformity on every aspect of life, across all communities, would not be correct,” he added.

To explain the situation, he further added: “If a bill at the national or state level were to declare that the entire country should adopt a matrilineal system, Meghalaya would support that, because we are a matrilineal society. It all depends on the content of the bill – what aspects are being made uniform and in what way”.

“For us, as a state government, we are very clear. The Uniform Civil Code is not on our agenda. We respect the diverse identities of our tribal communities, and their traditional practices must be protected,” he added. 

Mr Sangma had made it clear earlier also that his government will not support the UCC.

Two years ago, a tribal council in Meghalaya unanimously passed a resolution to oppose the implementation of the UCC in areas within its jurisdiction.

Uttarakhand has become the first state in India to implement a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), aiming to simplify and standardize personal laws related to marriage, divorce, succession, and inheritance.
The UCC applies to all residents of Uttarakhand, except Scheduled Tribes and protected authority-empowered persons and communities.

A rare pre-historic fossil, possibly 35 to 40 million years old, has been stolen from a village in Meghalaya, leaving people in shock and outraged. The fossil was discovered in May last year in the state’s Tolegre village in South Garo Hills.

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) had examined the site last year and collected samples. Following this, the villagers were safeguarding the remaining fossil by restricting access to the area, officials said.

The fossil is possibly from the extinct Rodhocetus or Ambulocetus – early ancestors of modern whales.

A case has been filed at the Siju Police Station and the police are on the lookout for the culprits, officials said.

According to Meghalaya Education Minister Rakkam Sangma, the state government was planning to build a museum at the site.

“The villagers informed me…They have filed an FIR. This is very unfortunate. It should not have happened…A portion of the fossil has been cut and taken away. This fossil is an asset to the state and the country. We will find and arrest the culprit,” he said.

“This site is located in Tolegre under my constituency, under Siju Police Station, South Garo Hills, Meghalaya. Geologists from abroad had discovered it. The state government was considering constructing a museum at the site, and as the local MLA, I was planning to push for it. Now, we will have to see how things unfold. The police will conduct an inquiry,” Mr Sangma added.

Shillong:

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Tuesday said that the government is introducing game-based learning for the children in the state.

Inaugurating the Model Creative Learning Centre (MCLC) at Dobakkol in Tura, he said, “It is important that a child is introduced to game-based learning which will enable them to develop their perceptual, motor, cognitive and self-regulation skills.”

He informed that under the Early Childhood Development (ECD) mission, learning centres for children will be set up across the state.

Lauding Mere Mentor and Dobakkol Non Govt L.P. School for collaborating to start the MCLC, the Chief Minister said, “The state government has funded the infrastructure but it will be the collective responsibility of the organisation to ensure that it becomes functional.”

An amount of Rs 50 lakh was sanctioned for the project under the Chief Minister’s Special Development Fund (CMSDF). It is a pilot project and is a flagship initiative of the Chief Minister to promote activity and game-based learning.

Informing that the ECD mission has been accorded priority, he said: “It is important that we give the best to our children and in a scientific manner. From birth till the age of 8, a child undergoes a rapid transformation in their life cycle, and it is during this phase that right teaching and learning will allow their brains to develop skills, such as creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.”

He stated that the government has taken learning outcomes on early childhood development from countries like Europe and the UK and has come up with its own framework.

“We have rolled out the scheme and will upgrade our anganwadis into smart anganwadis,” he added.

In Dura Asim village under Chokpot block in South Garo Hills, a learning centre was set up by upgrading an Aganwadi. The project has been functional for the past two years. The centre aims to create a safe, welcoming, and stimulating space that encourages children to explore and learn through play, making learning a fun and interactive experience.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Shillong:

Curfew was clamped in Mawkynrew village in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district on Monday after a mob clashed with police personnel while allegedly attempting to vandalise the property of under-construction Ramakrishna Mission School, officials said.

A police official said that the Ramakrishna Mission School at Mawkynrew was set up in 2022 after a no-objection certificate was issued by the then “Sardar” (village chief) of Mawkynrew. However, the incumbent “Sardar” now is opposing his predecessor’s decision about the allotment of the land to the school.

A mob comprising 250 men and women went to the private school on Monday to dismantle its infrastructure. Police thwarted the attempt and used lathis and fired tear gas to disperse the mob. Despite the police trying to disperse the crowd, the protesters continued their agitation, resulting in a clash that injured four police personnel including women and four civilians.

The official said that the mob had tried to attack the police personnel but they exercised utmost restraint. After long hours of chaos, the mob has left the place. The situation now remains tense but under control, the official said, adding that a huge contingent of police personnel is still in the areas as precautionary measures.

Meanwhile, East Khasi Hills District Magistrate Rosetta Mary Kurbah in her order said that information is received that there is a serious deterioration of law and order in areas under Mawkynrew Village under Madanrting police station with reports of vandalism causing destruction to property and person at Ramakrishna Mission School at Mawkynrew.

“These activities are likely to continue with every likelihood of causing a serious breach of peace and tranquillity and may lead to loss of life and property,” the order said adding that the curfew was imposed under section 163 BNSS in the Mawkynrew Village with immediate effect till further orders.

The protesters claimed that the “disputed land” had earlier been allocated to the Mawkynrew Sports Club for use as a playground and alleged that the decision to reallocate the land to the Ramakrishna Mission School was made without their knowledge or consent.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma with Hally War, the man who initiated the weaving of the living root bridge at Sohra, which is popularly known as Cherrapunjee.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

For the first time, trekking became part of the Cabinet meeting drill for the Ministers in Meghalaya.

On Saturday (January 11, 2025), Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma led most of his Cabinet colleagues and officers of various departments to meet a sexagenarian who wove a living root bridge across a hill river to Siej, his village.

The trek for more than 10 minutes after an hour’s bus drive from Sohra was a component of a two-day Cabinet retreat, a meeting mixed with travel and adventure.

More popular as Cherrapunjee, Sohra is one of the rainiest places on earth and about 54 km southwest of the State’s capital Shillong. Siej is under the Shella-Bholaganj Block in the East Khasi Hills district.

“The trek to Siej was to see the Umkar Living Root bridge and meet Hally War, the man who initiated the weaving of the living root bridge, an essential part of the local culture for more than 300 years,” Mr. Sangma said.

Mr. War, the Siej village headman for the last 40 years, said he began weaving the root bridge when he was 10 years old. “I saw people facing difficulties in crossing the river. I remembered my grandparents sharing stories about the strength of the living roots and decided to build a lasting and sustainable bridge,” he said.

Mr. Sangma said the root bridges remain a symbol of sustainable architecture and community-driven development – a template his National People’s Party-led alliance government intends to follow in promoting tourism and other sectors.

“This root bridge shows the patience and dedication required to create something sustainable. It’s a testament to the wisdom passed down through generations,” he added.

During the visit, the Chief Minister announced new infrastructure projects to improve connectivity in the region, including the construction of new roads and the upgrading of school buildings. “The government is committed to addressing the needs of rural communities,” he said.

He also explained the idea behind the Cabinet retreat, touted by the government as a first of its kind. “We are charting the Vision 2032 for the growth and development of Meghalaya when it attains 60 years of statehood,” he said.

On the first day of the retreat on Friday, the Cabinet approved CM Assure, a market intervention scheme to support small and marginal farmers by guaranteeing fixed-price procurement during market price decline to prevent distress sales. The State government budgeted a revolving corpus fund of ₹100 crore.

Among the other decisions were the regularisation of 850 employees who were given ad hoc appointments before 2007, approval of The Meghalaya Factories (Amendment) Rules of 2025 to facilitate ease of doing business, and an upward revision of minimum wages for unskilled, semi-skilled, and skilled workers.

Shillong:

Tension continues to rise at North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) in Meghalaya’s capital Shillong as students have launched an indefinite hunger strike outside the Vice Chancellor’s office, demanding the removal of Vice Chancellor Prabha Shankar Shukla.

The hunger strike, led by the NEHU Students’ Union (NEHUSU) and the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) NEHU Unit, accused the Vice Chancellor of “misuse of power” and mismanagement. The students are also calling for the removal of the Registrar and Deputy Registrar, appointment of a pro-vice chancellor for the Tura campus, and improvements in essential amenities, including revised hostel fees, clean water, Wi-Fi, and ambulance services.

Banners with slogans such as “No More Delays, Vice Chancellor Must Go” and “We Demand Fairness, Not Abuse of Power” reflected the students’ growing frustration with the administration. NEHU Assam Students Association is also participating in the hunger strike.

“I have been here for more than three years. Our university’s quality has been degrading and going down and down,” a protesting student said. Another student said Mr Shukla came in 2021, and students have been protesting since 2022. “I think this is the best time for him to step down,” the student said.

Another student at the protest site said the Vice Chancellor has “misused and mishandled the university according to his will.”

“He has done that by appointing a Registrar and a Deputy Registrar… which indicates foul play in the recruitment, and maybe a political agenda behind the recruitment of these officials. These officials are not entirely competent in what they are supposed to do,” the student said. “The Deputy Registrar is not even capable of writing a simple letter,” he alleged.

The latest agitation by the students comes on the heels of an indefinite strike launched by the NEHU Non-Teaching Staff Association (NEHUNSA) since yesterday.

The students said their hunger strike will continue until the Vice Chancellor, Registrar, and Deputy Registrar step down. This latest student-led protest follows an indefinite strike by the NEHUNSA over delay in recruitment for advertised positions. NEHUNSA said repeated requests to expedite the recruitment process have gone unanswered by the administration.

The NEHU Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) has voiced support for the students’ demands, calling for the removal of Registrar Omkar Singh and Deputy Registrar Amit Gupta, labelling them “errant, irresponsible, and inefficient.”

NEHUTA in its general body meeting on November 1 resolved to back NEHUSU’s demands to protect the university’s integrity. Additionally, the Meghalaya Tribal Teachers’ Association (MeTTA) of NEHU has expressed full support for the protesting students.

This series of agitations reflect widespread dissatisfaction across NEHU’s student, non-teaching, and teaching communities, who have accused Mr Shukla of rule violations and actions that undermined the university’s welfare since his appointment as Vice Chancellor.

Mr Shukla on Wednesday said he will not step down as his appointment was made by the President of India, who holds the authority to make any decisions regarding his tenure. Mr Shukla added he has communicated the current issues to the Education Ministry and dismissed accusations of being “anti-tribal.”

Mr Shukla said the removal of so many officials cannot happen through arbitrary decisions. These officials were appointed through a formal, rigorous selection process, governed by standard procedures, not personal discretion, he said.

Mr Shukla acknowledged that concerns raised by associations such as NEHUTA, NEHUNSA, and NEHUSU have been forwarded to the government, including the President of India. However, no directive or communication has been received from the Ministry of Education or the President’s office indicating any inquiry into the matter.

He said any action to remove government employees would require a formal investigation and cannot proceed without substantial reasons. Discussing the Director of the College Development Council role, Mr Shukla mentioned his attempts to appoint a professor to the position, though none have agreed to take it.

He said he remains open to assigning the role to any professor willing to take up the responsibility. Regarding the guest house incharge position, Mr Shukla pointed at the university’s shortage of non-teaching staff for which recruitment ads have been issued. However, with the National Testing Agency (NTA) declining to conduct the exams, alternative agencies are being considered, he said, adding some progress is expected once the Registrar’s office reopens following recent protests.

On the appointment of Pro-Vice Chancellors for both NEHU campuses (Shillong and Tura), Mr Shukla said the university has sought guidance from the Ministry of Education. If no response is received by December, he said he is committed to appointing Pro-Vice Chancellors from the local community for each campus.

He noted he has been in discussions with the Non-Teaching Staff Association, which has requested assurances in writing, though he has been unable to issue these due to the ongoing closure of the Registrar’s office by protesters. He assured the non-teaching staff that he will provide written communication once the situation normalises.

Mr Shukla expressed willingness to initiate a dialogue with student representatives to address their concerns.

Shillong’s Punjabi Lane, also known as Them Iew Mawlong, is open for traffic after a six-year gap following the 2018 unrest . The Motphran-Mawlong route closure was initially implemented in response to security concerns after the unrest in Them Iew Mawlong in 2018. Vehicular movement has officially resumed on the Mawlonghat to Bimola junction, the administration said today. 

The district administration has announced that vehicles can now take the Them Metor Road, connecting Mawlonghat to Bimola, from 8 am to 4 pm daily, under strict security.

Following a recent meeting between district authorities and Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, it was decided to resume traffic movement through this route. 

East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Sylvester Nongtnger assured that a substantial security presence including CRPF, traffic police, and state police personnel have been deployed to ensure a safe and organized transition. 

Parallely, the state government is preparing to make a final decision on relocating 342 families from the Harijan Colony in Them Iew Mawlong, with plans for a resolution by the end of the year. 

The relocation proposal has been under review since the formation of a High-Level Committee in June 2018, led by Deputy Chief Minister Tynsong. 

Back in 2018, as unrest again broke out in Shillong over the migrant issue, life became uncertain for the residents of Punjabi Lane, the 200 year old settlement the protesters wanted to be relocated. An estimated 4,000 people live in the area. 

The colony — meant to house sweepers and workers of the municipality, mostly migrants from Punjab — became a flashpoint in the 1980s. 

The dominant Khasi tribals want the Punjabis to be relocated from the donated tribal land that had gone to the government post-Independence. Conflicts have erupted on and off over the years, and progressively escalated.

If India’s Health Ministry and the Meghalaya State government have till date refused to reveal all the details of the polio case in a two-year-old boy in Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills district who was found with symptoms of polio in the first week of August this year, the WHO too has been cagey about making any kind of official announcement of the case till now.

On September 16, Dr Roderico H. Ofrin, WHO Representative to India, told The Hindu in an email that the ICMR-NIV Mumbai unit, which is a WHO-accredited polio laboratory, had confirmed that the polio case detected in Meghalaya was a type-1 vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV), and that the ICMR lab shared the results with the Health Ministry, the Meghalaya State government and the WHO on August 12. He also said that CDC Atlanta too had confirmed it as a type 1 VDPV.

According to him, follow-up tests conducted by ICMR-NIV Mumbai unit and surveillance confirmed that the immunological profile of the child was normal and that there was no evidence that the virus was circulating in the community. The follow-up test thus confirmed that it was not a case of immunodeficiency related vaccine-derived poliovirus (iVDPV). Since the child was not immunocompromised, the polio was caused by the live, weakened type-1 virus strain used in the bivalent oral polio vaccine that had undergone mutations and gained the ability to cause polio in the child who was not fully immunised. Since there was no evidence that the virus was circulating in the community or isolated from healthy community members, the Meghalaya case is called as VDPV type-1 and not as circulating VDPV (cVDPV) type-1.

Dr. Ofrin also said that it generally takes three-four weeks to assess the immunological profile of the child from whom the virus was isolated and to also assess if there is any evidence of circulation of the virus in the community. These assessments were completed and the results were shared with the Health Ministry, the Meghalaya State government, and the WHO before September 16, according to Dr. Ofrin’s email.

While Dr. Ofrin had shared all the details of the case with The Hindu even when the Health Ministry had not, it is surprising that the WHO has till date not posted any details of the case on its website or made an announcement of the case. WHO did not respond to queries from The Hindu that were emailed on October 8 and a reminder email on October 15 about the delay in posting the details of the Meghalaya polio case on its website. Like the WHO, no official announcement of the case has been made by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) either. Global Polio Eradication Initiative is a public-private partnership led by national governments with six partners, including the WHO.

Nearly 75 days after the ICMR-NIV Mumbai unit first shared the results with the WHO on August 12 and more than 45 days after the immunological profile of the child was tested and evidence of circulation of the virus in the community was assessed and results shared with the WHO, both the WHO and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative have maintained radio silence about the Meghalaya polio case.

In contrast, in 2022, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative made an official announcement of a type-3 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV3) case in Israel on March 17, just 10 days after the case was confirmed in an unvaccinated girl aged three years and nine months. Similarly, on July 21, 2022, an updated statement by the GEPI mentioned about a type-2 VDPV case in New York, U.S. The announcement by the GPEI was made just three days after the U.S. CDC was notified about the results. While the GPEI announced the type-2 VDPV case in New York and the cVDPV3 case in Israel almost immediately, it took 45 days and 38 days, respectively for the WHO’s Disease Outbreak News to announce them.

Though the WHO Disease Outbreak News website says that as per the International Health Regulations (2005), “WHO may make information on acute public health events available… if there is a need for the dissemination of authoritative and independent information”, no information about the Meghalaya polio case has been posted on the site till date.

In contrast, on May 26, 2017, WHO posted the details in the Disease Outbreak News site about the three Zika virus cases in Gujarat between November 2016 and January 2017, just 11 days after the Health Ministry informed the WHO. Zika virus was no longer in circulation in Gujarat when WHO published the news, and just like the Meghalaya polio case, the Health Ministry was secretive about the Zika cases in Gujarat. The question therefore is this: why has WHO not shown the same alacrity in publishing the details of the Meghalaya polio case?

Guwahati:

The body of Bangladeshi Awami League leader Ishaque Ali Khan Panna, a former General Secretary of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and a key member of the Awami League, is likely to be handed over to Bangladesh High Commission officials today, a top Meghalaya official told NDTV.

The body will likely be taken to the Dawki-Tamabil international border check post in Meghalaya and transferred to Bangladesh, the official further added.

The Meghalaya government had earlier stated that it is waiting for instructions from the Centre on the next steps to be taken following the recent recovery of the politician’s body. Panna had fled Bangladesh after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime and had allegedly entered India illegally, likely through the Dona Bhoi area of East Jaiñtia Hills (EJH) District, approximately 1.5 kilometers from the Indo-Bangladesh border.

The body, discovered on the evening of August 26, 2024, has been identified through a Bangladeshi passport.

The body has been kept in the Khliehriat Civil Hospital’s morgue for identification. A post-mortem indicated that he died of throttling.

Deputy Chief Minister in charge of Home (Police), Prestone Tynsong, said, “We have informed the higher authorities and also the High Commissioners of Bangladesh and India about the discovery of the body, and now we are waiting for instructions from the Home Ministry on the next steps to be taken.”

However, before the formal handover of the body, forensic test samples will be collected to aid in the investigation of how the politician died.

“The Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs are taking care of everything, and our responsibility as the state government is only to hand over the dead body to the concerned family members once they reach Meghalaya (India),” he said.

Guwahati:

A top leader of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party, Ishaque Ali Khan Panna, who had reportedly fled the country after her government collapsed, was found dead in Meghalaya, not far from the Bangladesh border, Meghalaya police said in a press release today. Police sources added that his postmortem report suggests that he had been strangled.

Meghalaya police said the semi-decomposed body was found inside a betel-nut plantation in East Jaintia Hills’ Dona Bhoi village on August 26. The area is 1.5 km from the India- Bangladesh border.

The body was identified by the passport he was carrying, sources said.

Police sources added that the postmortem report said he died because of strangulation — “the cause of the death is asphyxia caused by throttling”. The body has been sent for forensic analysis, sources said.

There were also multiple lacerations on the body. There were abrasions and bruises on the forehead, “which could indicate a struggle by the victim,” the report added, said police sources.

Panna was a former general secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League affiliated to the Awami League.