By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 5: The Dorbar Shnong of Mukroh on Friday submitted a memorandum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah through Governor Chandrashekhar H. Vijayashankar, to urge the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to expedite its probe into the November 22, 2022, firing in which five residents of the village were killed.
The memorandum also called on the Centre to resolve the Assam-Meghalaya boundary dispute and to direct the Assam government to halt all works in the Mukroh area, as defined by the 1968 JHADC notification.
“We urge the Government of India to expedite the CBI’s investigation and resolve the boundary dispute to put an end to the sufferings of residents of Mukroh,” the memorandum stated.
The Dorbar Shnong outlined the persistent harassment faced by locals at the hands of Assam authorities, the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC), and Karbi ‘underground’ groups.
“We are subjected to atrocities and harassment from both the Karbi underground and the Assam government and KAAC due to the ongoing Assam Meghalaya boundary dispute,” it said.
The memorandum detailed a history of violence spanning more than two decades. Among the incidents cited was the February 8, 2003 killing of six residents, including a minor, by Karbi National Volunteers (KNV) in Umlaphiah forest. KNV and United People’s Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) cadres reportedly issued extortion notices, warning villagers not to cultivate disputed lands without permission, and in March 2005 demanded an annual tax of Rs 10 lakh.
The Dorbar also opposed Assam’s claim that nearly half of Mukroh falls under its jurisdiction, citing a different interpretation of the 1951 notification by the Government of Composite Assam.
The Dorbar emphasised that ongoing harassment and violence have left the residents living in fear, urging the Centre to take immediate action through a central investigation and to resolve the boundary dispute without delay.
