Regional Council Demand Committee seeks Guv help on recruitment policy

Shillong, Feb 15: The chairman of the Regional Council Demand Committee (RCDC), KC Boro, has sought the help of Governor CH Vijayashankar on the new Meghalaya recruitment policy, which deprives the minority tribes of job opportunities, as the knowledge of the Khasi and Garo languages is compulsory.

Full unedited text of the letter below

To,

His Excellency,

The Honourable Governor,

Meghalaya, Shillong.

Sub.:- Change of existing rule/recruitment policy by making Garo and Khasi languages compulsory in the written test and personal interview for any govt./semi-Govt. etc. posts (jobs) – request for immediate intervention into the matter.

Ref.:- Our memorandum, dated. 10/12/25 was submitted to you recently on our demand for the Regional Council.

Most respected sir,

With reference to the subject, cited above, I, on behalf of the Regional Council Demand Committee (RCDC) in particular and the minority tribal communities of Meghalaya i.e., — Hajong, Koch, Rabha, Boro-Kachari, Mann and Karbi in general have the honour to bring before you the following few lines on the matter indicated in the above subject for favour of your kind information and immediate intervention into the matter. The matter is very, very serious and also urgent in nature as it relates to the life and the future of our boys and girls, i.e., the students and especially for the job seekers. And therefore, I would earnestly request you to kindly take the matter seriously and sympathetically and take immediate necessary action in the same from your end for the interest of these most backward minority tribal communities of the state.

That, sir, you might be aware of the fact that the Govt. of Meghalaya has decided last year in 2025 to introduce a policy to make Khasi and Garo languages compulsory to study in classes I to V in the school following the National Education Policy, 2020. Although, in contrary to it, we have submitted our appeal to the Expert Committee appointed by the Govt. to consider our minority tribal languages like – Hajong, Koch, Rabha and Boro languages (our mother tongue) in place of Garo and Khasi languages for our children in the minority tribal-inhabited villages/areas, we have not received any response from the govt. for the same as yet.

But now, very surprisingly, our state govt. has decided to adopt a new rule/a new recruitment policy and is contemplating implementing it shortly by changing the existing rule, which is most unfortunate and at the same time dangerous for our children. According to the new rule/policy every candidate applying for any post (Govt. or semi Govt.) must have knowledge of Garo language in case of Garo Hills and Khasi language in case of Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills without which no candidate shall be considered eligible, not to speak of getting service, even to apply and to appear written test or interview. This is really unfortunate for our children. Because they will never and never get any service anymore in the state now, as they (our children) do not know either the Garo or the Khasi language. Before the implementation of the policy of compulsory study of Khasi and Garo (for which the Govt. has just taken a policy decision) in the school, how (the Govt. adopt such a policy directly and abruptly like this for recruitment? This, I feel, is nothing but a deliberate indirect policy of the Government, only to deprive our boys and girls from getting a Job in the State. Question arises, — is it not anti-minority tribal and anti-non-tribal policy; is it not indirect torture to our children ?..

First, job reservation, then the reservation roster and now this new policy for recruitment that the Govt. is doing injustice to our boys and girls. How much and how long will they tolerate these sorts of inhuman tortures/harassments one after another like this? Instead of adopting such policies and torturing our children like this, the State Government should rather decide to encounter us all at once. Because we should die at once rather than die bit by bit again and again.

The rule/policy in question, according to me, is totally illegal, illogical, unreasonable, unjustified, inhuman and unacceptable. And therefore, I strongly condemn it, terming it as ‘anti-human’.

Sir, we already told you, when we met you recently i.e., on 10-12-25 in connection with our demand for Regional Council, how our people (boys and girls) have been suffering for the last 53 years in getting jobs because of unreasonable and unjustified job reservation quota which is only 2.5 % for us practically (although literally 5%) and also because of policy of reservation roster. (We have elaborately stated about this in our memorandum submitted to you on 10th Dec./25) And now again, the new rule/policy for recruitment as indicated above. How much our Govt. will torture our people like this ?.. I feel this is no less than brutally killing in broad daylight of our boys and girls. In front of this policy, qualification, merit, talent, etc., and even job reservation have no value. All these are useless in front of this new policy because they (our boys and girls) do not know the Garo and Khasi languages, and they know they are not going to get any job in Meghalaya. And then what about those who are studying outside Meghalaya for better education ?… I feel this is the greatest injustice the state government of Meghalaya has ever done to our boys and girls who are seeking jobs. Because of this sort of injustice and torture of the government, our boys and girls have become totally demoralised, frustrated and have become ‘hopeless’. In my opinion, it is a crime and a criminal activity on the part of the government.

Sir, in this regard, my opinion is that – our children should be given at least 25 years to read and learn Garo or Khasi language in the schools and only after that i.e., minimum after 25 years Govt. may introduce and implement this new rule/policy of recruitment, but depending on the situation at that time, so that our boys and girls and also others all can apply and compete for the Job.

Under the above circumstances, I would earnestly request you, sir, to kindly intervene in the matter from your end at your earliest convenient time by using your good office and utilising your constitutional power as the statutory head of the state.

I sincerely hope that, in the interest of the most backward minority tribals of the state, your good self will take the matter seriously and will do the needful accordingly as prayed for above. And for which I, in particular, and the RCDC and the entire minority tribal communities as a whole shall remain ever grateful to you.

Last but not least, these sorts of tortures and injustices done to our people ages together one after another by our Govt. are the key reasons why we need and have demanded an Autonomous Regional Council. For, we feel, this is the only and the last resort to safeguard our communities, to get rid of such injustice, to protect the rights of our people and thus grow and survive like human beings with pride and prosperity like others.

With this, I conclude my humble prayer in the matter(s), anticipating your kind help in the same.

Thanks.

Yours faithfully,

Sd/-

(Dr. K.C. Boro)

Ex-Minister,

Chairman, RCDC.