Meghalaya: Second Cenotaph Proposed to Honour overlooked Garo Labour Corps Members

CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: The government-appointed committee on the preservation of Garo culture and heritage has recommended two potential sites for constructing a second Cenotaph to honour members of the Garo Labour Corps whose names were not included in the original memorial at Lower Babupara.

“The existing Cenotaph reflects only a few names,” said committee chairman and Cabinet Minister Marcuise N. Marak while addressing the media. “The committee felt that those missing names should also be identified and engraved. For this, we have proposed another plot. We have already suggested two locations – one is the old Circuit House and the other is the old public school at Babupara – for the construction of the second Cenotaph.” The first Cenotaph was recently dismantled to make way for a new structure, a move that drew strong objections from civil society organisations, particularly the Mother’s Union, over the lack of consultation with stakeholders and descendants. The outcry prompted Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma to constitute the committee under Marcuise N. Marak’s leadership to address the concerns.

“All civil society organisations have agreed that the Cenotaph must be reconstructed at the same place, without shifting its location,” Marak stated. “However, we were also told that several names were missing from the original. If research reveals additional names, then we need another plot to engrave those. That’s why we suggested the old Circuit House and the old public school – both within Babupara.”

“There is a demand that it should resemble a war memorial. We are also considering the creation of a museum of memories there.”

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