New Cenotaph in Same Place Where the Demolished WW-I Cenotaph Stood: Meghalaya Minister Marcuise Marak

The Committee decided to request government to initiate an enquiry leading to the dismantling of the Cenotaph

Amid growing public outcry after the demolition of the historic World War I Cenotaph in Tura, Meghalaya, Minister Marcuise Marak today said that a new Cenotaph will be built at the same place where the earlier World War- I Cenotaph stood.

The Minister said this during the first meeting of the Cenotaph Committee held in Tura on Monday.

Minister Marak assured that the monument will remain at its original site.

It was observed during the meeting that there has been encroachment in the boundaries of the original plot and accordingly it was decided that the government will be requested to look into the matter.

Further, it was decided that immediate protection of the property would be carried out by way of construction of a retaining wall to prevent further erosion.

The committee also suggested setting up a museum or gallery dedicated to the Cenotaph’s history. Suggested sites for the facility include government-owned land in either the Old Circuit House or the Old Public School premises in Babupara.

The Committee also decided to request government to initiate an enquiry leading to the dismantling of the Cenotaph.

This development comes in the backdrop of a major controversy in Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills, where the Joint NGOs Forum has demanded the immediate removal of West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Jagdish Chelani and Tura Municipal Board CEO Rikse R. Marak following the demolition of the Cenotaph that hurt the feelings of the Garo people.

The NGOs condemned the demolition as a violation of cultural and matrilineal values, especially those held sacred by the Garo community.

The Mothers’ Union, Tura, citing RTI findings from the Garoland State Movement Committee, expressed outrage over plans to replace the historic site with a commercial complex that includes parking space and a restaurant.

According to the RTI, the Cenotaph is proposed to be relocated to the terrace of the new structure a move the Union strongly condemned as an affront to its historical and emotional significance.

The Cenotaph was built in the Lower Babupara area of Tura in memory of 500 members of the Garo Labour Corps recruited by the British government for services on the frontlines in France during the First World War. Around only 120 are said to have returned home alive in July 1918.

Earlier in March this year, the town authorities demolished the Cenotaph to make space for a complex with a parking space and other facilities. They said the cenotaph, according to the redevelopment plan, would be rebuilt on the terrace of the complex.

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