SHILLONG, March 21: The VPP’s Nongkrem legislator, Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit has questioned the delay in initiating the CBI inquiry into the Mukroh killings as was agreed upon by Union Home Minister, Amit Shah.
Taking part in the general discussion on the Governor’s address on the second day of the Assembly budget session, Basaiawmoit said there is no information about the status of such a CBI inquiry.
“From what is visible on the ground, there was no CBI inquiry. Is this because the Central government does not want to hurt the feelings of Assam? Or is it because the Central government does not care for Meghalaya as far as the Mukroh incident is concerned?” he asked.
He recalled that Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma had gone to Delhi after the Mukroh incident and met Shah on November 24 last year to demand a CBI inquiry.
He also referred to the Governor’s address, which said the state government constituted a judicial commission of inquiry into the Mukroh incident.
He said he is not sure if this commission will ever bring a sense of justice to the victims of the Mukroh incident.
Basaiawmoit said he is worried about the next phase of the boundary settlement talks. “Anything done in haste always ends in waste,” he said.
“The reason I am saying this is because the first phase of boundary settlement, including the signing of the memorandum of understanding, has not satisfied the people living on the border. Many villages in West Khasi Hills and Ri-Bhoi districts which were in Meghalaya have now gone to Assam. We have seen in the media how the people of these villages have protested against the MoU as they do not want to be in Assam,” he said.
Basaiawmoit, however, admitted that the boundary dispute has to be resolved but through a proper process and by taking everyone on board. “In the name of settlement, we cannot afford to give away our precious land to Assam,” he said. He differed with the Governor’s claim that the safety and security of citizens are necessary for the development of the state.
“During the last five years and also after the same old government took over, people of the state have been living in insecurity. Crimes and lawlessness are on the rise. Almost every day, there is murder, theft, robbery, burglary, and other crimes,” Basaiawmoit said.
He said that in some cases, people were forced to take the law into their own hands as was in the September 2022 Shangpung case where an angry mob lynched four dreaded criminals.
The VPP legislator lauded the Meghalaya Police for its war against drugs in order to save the youth of the state from addiction.
“However, I would like to suggest that stringent measures should be taken against drug traffickers and peddlers. We have seen how drug traffickers and peddlers who have been arrested by police get bail and go back to their business of drug trafficking,” he said.
Asserting that this cycle has to be stopped, he said drug traffickers and peddlers should be made to face the law.
According to him, they should stay behind bars for a long period under the Meghalaya Preventive Detention Act or other stringent laws.
“The drug traffickers and peddlers should pay dearly for their crimes. I want the government to give assurance and commitment on this,” Basaiawmoit said.
He advised the state government to set up its own rehabilitation centres for drug addicts. The cost of treating and rehabilitating drug addicts in private rehab centres is very high, he said.
“We have seen parents finding it hard to afford the money needed for rehabilitating their children who have fallen into this deadly trap,” he said.
