Tura, March 19: The demolition of the Garo Labour Corps Cenotaph at Lower Babupara in Tura by the Tura Municipal Board has sparked widespread outrage in Garo Hills. Several civil society organizations, community leaders, and concerned citizens have condemned the recent demolition of the historic monument and called it a grave insult to the “collective memory, heritage, and dignity of the people of Garo Hills.”

The Cenotaph was a historical monument in Tura, built in honour of the several hundred Garos who sacrificed their lives during the First World War in France and the return of the few survivors on July 16, 1918. During the World War I, around 500 Garo men were recruited by the British government in India and sent to the frontlines of the war in France. Their job was to bring in supplies, construct roads and transport much needed supplies to the allied forces battling the Germans at the frontlines. Of the 500 men, 456 reached France, at the beginning of the cold and bitter winter of the same year. When the war ended on May 25, 1918, they were sent to Marseilles port in France for repatriation to India. They landed in Tura on July 16, 1918 but, of the 456 who reached France, only 120 returned home alive. It was a historical landmark that embodied the valour and contributions of the Garos.

“Its destruction not only disregards the sacrifices of our ancestors but also undermines the shared history and cultural identity of the Garo people. Such an action, carried out without broad public consultation or community participation, has deeply wounded the sentiments of our people and has led to widespread indignation,” L. C. Momin, the Convenor of the Joint NGOs Forum, said in a letter to the Deputy Commissioner of West Garo Hills.

The Joint NGOs Forum, comprising of GSMC (Garoland State Movement Committee), GSU (Garo Students’ Union), Mother’s Union, DINDAM (Durama Imbama Norombi Dikimbe Achik Magiparang), New Tura Development Forum and social activists, has demanded immediate steps towards redressal of the grievances arising out of the issue.

It has demanded a formal and public clarification from the District Administration regarding the reasons for the demolition and the intended future use of the site. It has also sought commitment to restore or rebuild the Cenotaph at its original location, ensuring that its historical significance is preserved in consultation with the indigenous communities.

It wants to halt any commercial development plans on the site until a proper public consultation is conducted, involving stakeholders such as the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), traditional bodies, NGOs, senior citizens, and community organizations. Additionally, the forum has sought an assurance from the District Administration that no future decisions affecting heritage sites and cultural landmarks will be made without the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) of the indigenous people, in accordance with the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution and international conventions such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

As per a RTI reply by Tura Municipal Board (TMB), a commercial complex will be built at the site.

DC meets CSOs, outcome positive

Following the public outrage, West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, Jagdish Chelani, held a meeting with the members of the joint forum, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and social activists.

Talking to Hub News after the meeting, Mother’s Union secretary, Sume G B Sangma, said the meeting had a positive outcome. She informed that work at the site has been stopped and the district administration has agreed to consult them in future before proceeding ahead with the project. “I think they will have review meeting and ultimately, I think we will be working together. We have already intimated to him all the demands that we would want relating to this senator,” she said.

She further shared that earlier they were informed that the Cenotaph site would be renovated, hence they had no objection to that. “We welcome that (the renovation) because obviously the cenotaph required renovation and they have used specifically the term renovation. So what we understand as renovation is something like existing place is being repaired. But here we see suddenly the entire hillock being bulldozed and monuments being taken up. It’s a shock for us. Something that we have revered for so many years. To regardlessly taking it out from the place itself, from a sacred place that we always had looked up to, that’s something very shocking to all of us. So, I think the renovation and the new construction is two different things. That’s what we understand,” she explained.

She added that there was a lack of clarity on what exactly was being done to the site. “The very reason why this incident had taken place (is) because we had never been informed of exactly what’s going to come up in that place. But we strongly condemn any structure that will come up or we just want the cenotaph to be as it was,” she said.

Calling for consultations in the future for such projects, she said “any future course to be taken on such places should have been intimated to the stakeholders, to the citizens, so that our opinions also count.”

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