GUWAHATI
The enduring spirit of Spility Lyngdoh Langrin, the revered matriarch who spearheaded the anti-uranium mining movement in Meghalaya, continues to inspire. Her fifth death anniversary, observed on October 28, 2025, served as a powerful ‘Anti-Uranium Day,’ reigniting the community’s steadfast opposition to any attempts by the central government to extract the radioactive element from their lands.
Langrin passed away at the age of 95 on October 28, 2020. She rose to prominence and became a household name after bravely rejecting a substantial government offer to purchase her land in Domiasiat, a region in the South West Khasi Hills district known for its rich uranium deposits. This pivotal moment occurred after the Atomic Minerals Directorate initiated exploratory drilling for uranium in 1993.
“We marked her death anniversary as Anti-Uranium Day, explicitly reiterating our firm and unwavering stance against any endeavor to mine uranium in Domiasiat,” stated Lambokstar Marngar, President of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), on Tuesday.
This renewed commitment was largely spurred by a recent office memorandum from the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. The memorandum controversially exempted uranium mining from mandatory public consultations under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act. Marngar condemned this move, calling it “an assault on the rights of the indigenous people.”
Meghalaya boasts some of India’s most significant uranium reserves, particularly in Domiasiat, Wahkaji, Mawthabah, and surrounding areas within the West Khasi Hills district. Despite the potential for extraction, local communities have consistently resisted exploration and mining efforts for this radioactive substance.
Leaders from the KSU’s district unit voiced their determination to uphold Langrin’s legacy, vowing never to betray the courage she exemplified.
Locals and members of various organizations, including the Hynniewtrep Youth Council, vividly recalled how the matriarch’s decisive actions galvanized her community. Her powerful declaration, “Money cannot buy me freedom,” became a rallying cry, motivating residents to safeguard their ancestral lands from the environmental degradation and health hazards associated with uranium mining. These villages are strategically located near Meghalaya’s border with Bangladesh.
The resistance movement gained renewed momentum in 2009 when the Meghalaya government granted permission to the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) for exploratory activities across 422 hectares in the district. At the time, the state was estimated to hold 9.22 million tonnes of high-grade uranium ore deposits. However, persistent protests from local communities, well-informed about the devastating impacts of uranium mining witnessed in Jharkhand’s Jaduguda, ultimately led the government to revoke UCIL’s permission in August 2016.