Shillong: Congress Lok Sabha member from Tura, Saleng A Sangma, has sought urgent intervention from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over threats allegedly issued by illegal Rohingya immigrants to indigenous Garo tribal communities in Meghalaya’s Garo Hills.In a letter to the Prime Minister, with a copy marked to the MHA on March 18, Congress MP warned of a worsening security situation in the region and called for immediate central action.“These developments have led to increasing tension and clashes between local tribal communities and illegal Rohingya groups,” Sangma wrote, adding that the threats have been linked to individuals suspected to be from immigrant backgrounds having ISIS backing.He said the Centre should move quickly to secure the sensitive region, where curfew has already been imposed and the scheduled Garo Hills Autonomous District Council elections have been postponed.Sangma told the Prime Minister that threatening posters had been pasted across several locations in West Garo Hills, including Rajabala, Tikrikilla, Phulbari and adjoining areas. The posters, he said, contained “explicit and coercive messaging directing residents to vacate their land within a defined timeframe (2027)”, creating fear and insecurity among local residents.“The targeted threats appear designed to create fear among indigenous tribal populations, with potential implications of displacement and social disruption,” he wrote.The MP also referred to a retaliatory incident reported on March 11, saying it pointed to a rapidly worsening situation on the ground. He described the developments as a “potentially escalating security concern” in the Garo Hills region of Meghalaya, particularly within the Tura (ST) parliamentary constituency.Sangma cited recent violence in which two Garo tribals were killed and houses were set on fire.“On March 9, a shop belonging to a local was destroyed at Chibinang market, and a statue of Mother Mary was vandalised— an act that has deeply affected the religious sentiments and social harmony of the local population,” he said.He warned that the sequence of threats, killings, vandalism and retaliatory incidents could trigger wider unrest.“Given the sequence of threats, killings, vandalism, and retaliatory actions, the situation carries a clear risk of spiraling into wider communal unrest if not addressed immediately,” he underscored.
