‘Sordar discriminate differently-abled girl’

SHILLONG, NOV 10: Differently-abled persons from a remote village in East Khasi hills district are being victimized by the traditional body because of alleged political influence alleged residents and family of a differently-abled girl who was recently denied certification by a traditional chief of Kynroh Nonglyer village at a media conference on Monday.

“I had gone three times to the Sordar Kwit Kyrsian requesting him to issue me a certificate but he refused because my father was involved in publicizing his role in denying the PDS scheme to a family in our village,” Marita Nongrum told reporters.

Nongrum said the sordar also told her because her father had created a lot of problem to him, now it is time for him to do the same to her.

Eighteen-years-old Nongrum, who does not have fingers since birth, said that she wanted a certificate from the dorbar shnong to open an account to avail the Chief Minister’s Social Assistance Scheme (CMSAS) as well as to obtain an EPIC card.  She is a class X student at a school in the village.

Nongrum informed that the same day when Nongrum had gone to the Sordar residence, there were three others people who went there for the same purpose. She said, “Out of four of us, the sordar issued the certificate to only one while the three of us were made to go back without the certificate because we are seen as the opposition against the dorbar shnong.”

Opposing the attitude of the sordar, a resident of the village Fatima Kharthangmaw said, “Politics has so much of influence in the functioning of our dorbar shnong even as the sordar have to be elected from the members who support the party in power.”

She said some of the villagers are at the receiving end if the sordars  have any problems with them as they do not dare to go to the authority concern since they already have a list of those who support and those who have not supported the party (Congress) during the election.

According to her, due to this  government schemes sanctioned under the MLA and MDC becomes inaccessible to people who have failed to support the winning party. She said,“Even, a flagship scheme like the NREGS of the central government, we are not getting because of this.”

Kharthangmaw said that though politics has created a division in the village but it is not justified to harass and make such persons with disabilities suffer like this.

Civil Society Women’s Organization (CSWO) president Agnes Kharshiing said the organization will soon file a petition to the Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) against the politicization of traditional system by the sordar.

“We would demand for his (Sordar) immediate removal as being a traditional head, he cannot mix politics with the functioning of the traditional institution. This has been clearly indicated in the sanat issued by KHADC,” Kharshiing said. She felt the district council has to take stern action as why should politics has a role in depriving the rights to the people.- By Our Reporter