Meghalaya

From its origins as an overlooked region under British rule to its emergence as a full-fledged Indian state in 1972, Meghalaya’s journey is a fascinating chapter in India's history. It is a tale of how the people of the Garo, Khasi, and Jaintia Hills came together, navigating political challenges and cultural diversity to carve out their own identity. 

Between December 1947 and mid-1948, the twenty-five Khasi princely states signed the Instrument of Accession to the Indian Union (Government of Khasi Hills, 1948). This step marked their formal integration into India and laid the groundwork for tribal autonomy under the Sixth Schedule.

Meghalaya’s push towards statehood came separately but simultaneously from all three of its regions – the Garo Hills, the Khasi Hills and the Jaintia Hills, all of which existed as 'excluded areas' in British India.

A significant moment came when the Bordoloi Committee, which included Reverend Nicholas Roy, a Khasi leader, was formed to address Assam’s future. The recommendations of this committee were instrumental in implementing the Sixth Schedule in Meghalaya, offering autonomous governance to these tribal areas (Bordoloi Committee, 1948).

After India became a republic on January 26, 1950, the Khasi Hill States and the Jaintia Hill District were merged into the autonomous district of the United Khasi-Jaintia Hills, while the Garo Hills were designated as a separate autonomous district under Assam (Government of Meghalaya, n.d.).

In 1953, the States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) was constituted. During this time, delegates from autonomous regions of Assam, including present-day Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Meghalaya, came together to demand a separate state for the autonomous districts of Assam. However, these efforts were unsuccessful. Political tensions grew when the Assam Congress’s push to make Assamese the official state language heightened the demand for autonomy in the Meghalaya region. In response, the All-Party Hill Leaders' Conference (APHLC) was formed, providing a platform for leaders to advocate for their regions (Kyndiah, 2010).

In November 1960, Prime Minister Nehru proposed the 'Scottish Pattern' of governance for the autonomous districts, which would allow for separate budgets, ministers, and legislative powers within the Assam Assembly (Kyndiah, 2010). Initially rejected, the APHLC later accepted the offer and contested the 1962 general elections, which saw their victory reignite the demand for statehood (Nag, 2015). Soon after, India faced the Sino-Indian War of 1962.

Following the war, the Pataskar Commission was established to address the demands of hill states for greater autonomy. However, its recommendation to maintain the status quo under the Sixth Schedule led to its rejection by the APHLC, which boycotted the 1967 elections (Pataskar Comission, 1966).

After Nehru’s death, political instability followed, and when Indira Gandhi became Prime Minister in 1966, she promised to reorganize Assam as a federated state, where its regions would enjoy equal status. This was accepted by the APHLC.

After Nehru’s death, political instability followed, and when Indira Gandhi became Prime Minister in 1966, she promised federal reorganisation of Assam, through which all of its regions would be equal in status (Chopra, 2021). In the 1967 elections, the APHLC won all the seats in Garo and United Khasi-Jaintia Hills, but the Assam Congress refused to back down. In response, APHLC members resigned their assembly seats and launched a non-violent satyagraha demanding statehood.

On 29 December 1969, the Assam Reorganisation (Meghalaya) Act was passed, creating the autonomous state of Meghalaya within Assam, comprising the districts of Garo Hills and United Khasi–Jaintia Hills (Government of India, 1969). This was a historic step, as it introduced a new tier to India’s state structure, akin to the autonomous republics in the former USSR. At the time, governance was primarily routed through the autonomous district councils established under the Sixth Schedule, which formed the transitional structure before full statehood. Shillong, once the capital of Assam, became the capital of both Assam and Meghalaya.

However, the demand for full statehood persisted. In 1971, Parliament passed the North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, which led to the creation of three new states — Meghalaya, Manipur, and Tripura — and two new Union Territories, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh (Government of India, 1971). Finally, on 21 January 1972, Meghalaya attained full-fledged statehood. Remarkably, this was achieved with minimal violence. In 1973, Assam shifted its capital to Dispur, leaving Shillong as the capital of Meghalaya (Government of Assam, n.d.).

Meghalaya’s journey to statehood, from its status as an excluded area under British rule, to an autonomous state within Assam, and finally as a full-fledged state, was a gradual yet steady process. In 1951, Meghalaya was comprised of just two districts under Assam—Garo Hills and United Khasi and Jaintia Hills. These districts were transferred to Meghalaya when it became a state in 1972.

Internal reorganisation

In 1976, Garo Hills split into East Garo Hills and West Garo Hills, while the United Khasi and Jaintia Hills split into East Khasi Hills, West Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills. In 1992, South Garo Hills district was carved out of West Garo Hills and Ri Bhoi district was carved out of East Khasi Hills.

More recently, in 2012, North Garo Hills was carved out of East Garo Hills, South West Khasi Hills from West Khasi Hills, and Jaintia Hills split into East and West Jaintia Hills. In 2021, the Eastern West Khasi Hills district was created from West Khasi Hills; Meghalaya officially has twelve districts today (Government of Meghalaya, n.d.).

References

• Bordoloi Committee (1948). Report of the Bordolai Sub-Committee. 

  
  

• Government of Assam (n.d.). Assam History. 

  
  

• Government of India (1969). The Assam Reorganisation (Meghalaya) Act, 1969. 

  
  

• Government of India (1971). The North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971. 

  
  

• Government of Khasi Hills (1948). Instrument of Accession of the Khasi State. 

  
  

• Government of Meghalaya (n.d.). History of Meghalaya State. 

  
  

• Government of Meghalaya (n.d.). Districts. 

  
  

• Kyndiah, P. R. (2010). No Hill State No Rest : Achieving Hill State in North East India Through Non - Violence. Vesta Book Agency, Shillong.

  
  

• Chopra, S. (2021). A reformulated demand. Millennium Post 

  
  

• Nag, S. (2015). Nehru and the North-East. NMML. 

  
  

• Pataskar Commission. (1966) Report of the Commission on the Hill Areas of Assam. Government of India.