NONGPOH, Sep 5: The traditional heads along with residents of Jirang constituency have given the lie to the allegations against local MLA Sosthenes Sohtun by president of Western Ri Bhoi Dorbar Najim Kharmalki, and have extended support to the former.
Kharmalki, who is also the Sordar of Patharkhmah, had during an HYC meeting reportedly accused Sohtun of discreetly collecting land documents from the traditional bodies (Hima and Raid) of Jirang and submitting them to the state government for border settlement between Meghalaya and Assam.
However, on Monday, the traditional heads and locals rejected Kharmalki’s allegations, maintaining that a land document cannot be given to anybody without consent from the Executive Committee of Hima Jirang.
Speaking to media persons at Patharkhmah on Monday, Assistant Secretary of the Office of Hima Jirang Langester Wahlang said the allegations against the Jirang MLA are baseless and that there are no records as such in the register of the Hima Jirang.
Other traditional heads of the constituency including Adviser of the Western Ri-Bhoi Dorbar and Social Welfare Organisation Lester Nongphlang, former president of the Western Ri-Bhoi Dorbar and Social Welfare Organisation Esman Lyngdoh, Sordar of Mawskei Them Siewdor Syngkli and Executive Member of Hima Jirang Spylot Lyngdoh, expressed unhappiness over the allegations, contending that under Sohtun, the constituency has seen various developmental works in the past few years.
Meanwhile Kharmalki, while reacting to his allegations against the MLA, said that since Sohtun was a member of the regional committee, the onus was on him to raise with the state government the issue about several areas of Jirang, not falling under the areas of differences, being handed over to Assam during the first phase of border settlement.
