3 min readGuwahatiUpdated: Jan 28, 2026 08:14 PM IST
A poster in the district headquarters of Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills district purportedly threatening Garos to leave the area, something the police say is likely to be a “deliberate attempt” to create anxiety, led to unease in the region on Wednesday.
The poster was found pasted on an electric pole near a law college in Tura, the district headquarters of the West Garo Hills. The rough poster, printed on a plain white sheet of paper, purportedly stated that it was issued by a ‘Plain Belt Area Committee’ of the ‘ISIS-K.’ It claimed to be a “warning to Garos” living in the West Garo Hills to vacate the land before 2027.
Meghalaya Cabinet Minister Marcuise N Marak, an MLA from the Williamnagar constituency in East Garo Hills, raised an alarm on Wednesday.
“As a representative of Meghalaya, but first, as a citizen, and as a member of the Garo community, I strongly condemn this act of intimidation and threat against our land, our people, and our peaceful coexistence. Such attempts to spread fear and division have no place in our society. Meghalaya has always stood for harmony, mutual respect, and unity among all communities, irrespective of religion or caste, and we remain firmly committed to these values,” he said.
The district administration has been informed, and efforts are underway to identify and take action against those responsible for the “provocative and unlawful act”, he said.
“I urge everyone to remain calm, united, and vigilant, and to place full faith in our government, administration and the law to protect our people and our land,” he said.
The West Garo Hills police said that a case has been registered.
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“Preliminary assessment indicates that this may be a deliberate attempt by a person or group with vested interests to create anxiety and disturb the law and order situation in the district. The poster has been removed and sent for forensic analysis. All-out efforts are being made to identify and trace the persons responsible,” said Superintendent of Police Abraham Sangma.
The West Garo Hills border Bangladesh, and parts have a mixed population. This comes two weeks after inter-community tensions flared in the same district after a youth, who was a member of the Garo pressure group ACHIK, died after being assaulted when a group he was part of got into an altercation while reportedly visiting an illegal stone quarry to “inspect” activities there. This had been followed immediately by peace meetings and calls for communal harmony, and eight people were arrested in connection with it.
