Guwahati: Representatives of the matrilineal Garo community in Meghalaya have taken their long-standing demand for a separate Garoland state to the national capital.
Members of the Garoland State Movement Committee (GSMC), led by acting chairman Balkarin Ch Marak, met Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual Oram on Tuesday (August 19, 2025) to submit a memorandum requesting the creation of Garoland under Article 3 of the Constitution, which empowers Parliament to form new states and reorganize existing state boundaries.
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Other GSMC representatives included publicity secretary Chevibirth Koknal, assistant general secretary Tony Balsam Ch Marak, executive member Amresh Ch Marak, and organizing secretary Jason Tekrang.
The memorandum highlighted that the demand for Garoland dates back to 1895, when patriotic Garo leader Sonaram R Sangma first called for a separate homeland during British rule.
Subsequent leaders, including Mody K Marak and Emonsing M Marak, advocated for unifying Garo-inhabited areas in Assam and the Mymensingh region (now in Bangladesh) within India.
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The proposed Garoland state would cover the western half of Meghalaya, including 24 of the State’s 60 Assembly constituencies.
GSMC also raised other issues such as the salary crisis in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), infrastructure development, cultural recognition, and the preservation of traditional institutions through the construction of Nokpantes (bachelors’ dormitories) for each of the 12 Garo sub-tribes.
“Over 1,350 GHADC employees have remained without salaries for 43 months, causing severe hardship and crippling the council’s ability to discharge its constitutional duties under the Sixth Schedule,” said Tony Marak.
The GSMC stated that Minister Oram assured them that their demands would be examined and considered in accordance with constitutional provisions.