Mukroh incident won't hamper the ongoing border talks between Meghalaya-Assam

Hynniewtrep Border Dispute Redressal Forum (HBDRF) spokesperson Thomas Passah on August 9 said that the Mukroh incident has nothing to do with the ongoing border talks between the two states of Meghalaya and Assam

''Mukroh incident on November 22, 2022, which claimed the lives of 5 persons from Meghalaya and one from Assam has nothing to do with the ongoing border talks between Meghalaya and Assam,'' he said while speaking to reporters on August 9. 

“We don’t want anyone from Assam side to mislead or to interfere with the land that belongs to the jurisdiction of the state of Meghalaya”, Passah added. 

He further pointed out that one of the statements issued by the inquiry committee had mentioned that the incident happened in an area under the Jrikyndeng Police Station. 

“Now, the question is whether the word Jrikyndeng is an Assamese or a Karbi word?”, Passah questioned. 

He also added that everyone knows that the word Jrokyndeng is a pnar word, so therefore the entire Mukroh falls under the jurisdiction of Meghalaya. 

It may be mentioned, six people, including five Meghalaya residents and a forest guard from Assam, were killed in the incident on November 22. However, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that police firing in Mukroh was an act of self-defence and meant to protect government properties claiming that the incident happened in an area that falls under Assam. 

Meanwhile, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has countered the claim of his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma over the ownership of a village on a disputed sector of the 885 km boundary between the two states.