Meghalaya group seeks PM’s help to uproot illegal settlements

A Meghalaya-based organisation has sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention to bail the Garo Hills region of the State out of a “grave humanitarian and constitutional crisis” caused by suspected illegal migrants from Bangladesh.

The Garoland State Movement Committee (GSMC), which wants Meghalaya to be bifurcated, said the killing of a tribal youth named Dilseng M. Sangma by a group mostly comprising migrants from Bangladesh and adjoining areas of Assam highlighted the gravity of the problem faced by the indigenous people in the northeast.

In a letter to Mr. Modi on Tuesday, (January 13, 2026), the organisation said Sangma’s killing exposed the profound failures in governance, law enforcement, and the enforcement of constitutional safeguards guaranteed under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

“There is widespread and growing public concern regarding unchecked illegal immigration into the northeastern region, particularly into Sixth Schedule areas. Equally alarming are credible reports of illegal and forceful occupation of tribal land, large-scale fabrication of identity documents such as Aadhaar cards and voter identity cards, and the systematic exploitation of administrative loopholes to legitimise unlawful settlements,” GSMC general secretary Tony Tojrang B. Marak wrote.

“These developments pose a serious threat not only to indigenous land rights and demographic balance but also to national security and constitutional integrity. There is also an urgent need to examine the possibility of foreign or organised funding networks facilitating such illegal activities,” he said.

The GSMC alleged that the Meghalaya government and the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council “demonstrated sustained administrative inertia and institutional failure” in addressing illegal immigration, land alienation, and related unlawful practices.

“This persistent inaction has emboldened illegal networks and has instilled fear, insecurity, and a deep sense of injustice among law-abiding indigenous citizens. If left unaddressed, the unchecked influx and illegal settlement threaten to irreversibly alter the demographic composition of the northeast, erode constitutionally protected tribal land rights, and precipitate severe and long-term law-and-order challenges,” it pointed out.

The GSMC urged the Prime Minister to help identify and deport illegal migrants; prevent and nullify illegal settlements on Sixth Schedule land through the cancellation of unlawfully issued land and revenue documents; probe and dismantle networks involved in forged identity documents and illegal registrations; and make guilty officials accountable.

Dilseng Sangma’s death on January 10, following an assault by a group of people allegedly involved in illegal stone quarrying, had sparked communal tension in Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills district. The situation was brought under control after Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma appealed for calm.