Proposal for Christian Consecration of University Sparks Controversy in Meghalaya

Shillong, January 7, 2025: A proposal by Meghalaya’s Education Minister Rakkam A. Sangma to inaugurate the Captain Williamson Sangma State University with a Christian prayer service on January 13 has drawn sharp criticism from political leaders and civil society. The plan, announced recently, has raised concerns about its implications for India’s constitutional commitment to secularism.

The university, named after Meghalaya’s first chief minister, focuses on tribal studies and indigenous language preservation. Sangma defended his proposal, stating, “Ours is a Christian state. We want to consecrate the first state university with a massive prayer meet.” He further argued that if Hindu rituals could be used to inaugurate India’s new parliament building, Christian rituals could be used to inaugurate the university in Meghalaya.

The new building of the Indian parliament was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2023 by invoking Hindu gods. However, critics of Sangma’s proposal pointed out that a multi-religious prayer was also held at the new Indian Parliament House

Thma U Rangli-Juki, an NGO based in Meghalaya, condemned Sangma’s remarks in a statement, asserting that Meghalaya, despite its Christian majority, is not a “Christian state.” The organization demanded the immediate cancellation of the planned prayer service, calling it discriminatory toward non-Christian communities in the state.

The opposition Voice of the People Party, also criticized Sangma for his “lack of understanding of key educational issues” and urged the state government to remove him as education minister.

Leaders of various religious groups expressed mixed reactions. Archbishop Victor Lyngdogh of Shillong advised against framing the university’s inauguration as a religious event, emphasizing the state’s secular values. “The state has peace-loving people and the proposed program should not be made into a political issue,” he told UCA News on Jan. 6.

Reverend D. C. Haia Darnei of The United Christian Forum of Dima Hasao maintained that a Christian prayer service would not undermine other faiths in the state while A. C. Michael, president of the Federation of Catholic Associations of the Archdiocese of Delhi, highlighted that Meghalaya, as part of a secular nation, cannot be classified as a religious state.

Christians constitute 83% of Meghalaya’s 3.2 million population, making it one of three Christian-majority states in northeast India, along with Nagaland and Mizoram. Despite this demographic, critics argue that state policies must uphold India’s secular ethos.

By Catholic Connect Reporter