Shillong, July 28 : The Hynñiewtrep Integrated Territorial Organization (HITO) has publicly expressed strong reservations regarding the University of Science & Technology Meghalaya’s (USTM) “Mission Rehabilitation Education” initiative. The initiative aims to provide educational rehabilitation to children of evicted families from Assam.
In an open letter addressed to Mahbubul Hoque, Chancellor of USTM, HITO stated their categorical opposition to the initiative, particularly as it involves individuals who are neither residents of Meghalaya nor legal citizens of India.
HITO argues that facilitating the integration of these children into Meghalaya’s educational framework could set a precedent for long-term settlement and lead to the procurement of residential or domicile certificates. This, they contend, could erode the indigenous rights of the people of Meghalaya.
The organization also raised concerns about national security, citing increased infiltration along the India-Bangladesh border and intelligence reports on ISI-linked activity in Bangladesh. HITO emphasized that the Northeast, and Meghalaya specifically, should not become a region where undocumented migration is legitimized under the guise of humanitarian outreach.
While clarifying that their opposition is not against education or child welfare, HITO stated that their concern stems from the “deliberate normalization of illegality under the guise of benevolence”. They view USTM’s stance as risking the compromise of Meghalaya’s demographic integrity and the constitutional safeguards of its Scheduled Tribe citizens under the Sixth Schedule.
HITO has urged USTM to reassess its initiative, asserting that support for the marginalized should not come at the cost of the state’s sovereignty, identity, and future. The organization acknowledged USTM’s past positive contributions to higher education and state development, expressing hope that this legacy would continue without compromising Meghalaya’s lawful rights and demographic stability.
