GUWAHATI, Nov 22: The killing of Meghalaya residents by Assam police in a firing at Mukroh village has come as a dampener for the neighbouring states of Meghalaya and Assam with Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma hinting on Tuesday that the incident has affected the overall situation and “things will not be the same as in the past”.
Dismissing any direct or immediate effect on the ongoing border parleys, Sangma said, “The state needs confidence building and what kind of action will be taken as the situation moves forward and how we will be able to make sure that justice is served will determine the future course of action.”
“Hence, we expect the Government of India and Assam government to take steps to ensure that justice is done,” he added.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is currently campaigning for the BJP in Gujarat ahead the upcoming polls in that state, assured Sangma of all possible help and support.
Interestingly, while Sangma maintained that the Mukroh incident was “not connected to the border dispute”, the contradictory statements from both sides make it apparent that Mukroh is a disputed area.
“Both states are making contradictory statements and claiming the area in question to be within each other’s jurisdiction. So, apparently, there is a dispute there,” said a political analyst here.
“There has to be a bilateral mechanism, from the highest to the police station level, has to be always operational both at the administrative and community levels in areas which are disputed till the areas are demarcated and issues resolved in the 12 areas of differences,” he said.
He further suggested joint operations in the disputed areas, either by a neutral authority or joint forces in close coordination, so that incidents such as these do not recur.
