Tura, Nov 25: The five groups from Garo Hills which announced a two hour Non Cooperation Movement (NCM) in the entire Garo Hills region on Friday, have urged the Chief Minister and the Home Minister to clarify on the exact sequence of events that took place leading to indiscriminate firing by the Assam police and Forest personnel, that claimed 6 lives at Mukroh on November 22.
The five groups comprising the FKJGP, AYWO, ADE, FAF and the GSU declared a two-hour NCM from 1 PM to 3 PM on Friday, as a mark of solidarity towards the families of the victims who were killed on the day.
Issuing a video statement after the NCM, FKJGP President Pritam Arengh said, “As of now media reports have claimed that the Assam police chased a timber smuggling truck into Meghalaya and were in the process of detaining the vehicle when the local people, in support of the smugglers attack the Assam officials forcing them to open fire. This is not true”.
“Our colleagues from Shillong have visited ground zero and talked to the people and it has been revealed that a civilian Maruti 800 vehicle, which was carrying Rice for personal consumption was detained by the Assam police. We have also come to know that the firing started when a huge crowd came to defend the occupants of the vehicle after the Assam officials began harassing them,” Pritam added.
Seeking a clarification from the government on the sequence of events leading up to the firing, Pritam said that it was imperative that a clarification be given to the media through a statement so that the actual truth comes out. “Until now, media reports have insinuated that the people of Mukroh were supporting the timber smugglers,” he added.
Meanwhile, the FKJGP leader also expressed gratitude to the citizens of Garo Hills for cooperating with the NCM and making it a complete success.
IANS
