HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Dec 3: Several Meghalaya pressure organisations are displeased with Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council chief executive member (CEM) Tuliram Ronghang’s description of Khasi-Pnars living in Mukroh as “illegal settlers” remark.
On Wednesday, Save Hynniewtrep Mission (SHM) pressure groups staged a protest in Jowai town, about 60 kilometers from Shillong, burning copies of Ronghang’s Facebook post in which he mentioned the term “illegal settlers,” and demanding an instant apology from Ronghang.
On Tuesday CEM Ronghang in a Facebook post stated that after visiting Mukroh on a stock-taking mission with senior police and government officials, “Visited Mukroh today. What happened on November 22 was unfortunate. We demand a CBI inquiry on the incident…”
Ronghang further said, “A meeting with the government of Assam and the government of Meghalaya will be held soon to resolve the border problem through discussion. We will not compromise with the territorial integrity of Karbi Anglong, not even an inch of land will be given away to illegal settlers”.
According to an SHM member, the KAAC CEM’s remark added fuel to fire to an already critical situation in the aftermath of the November 22 shooting incident at Mukroh in west Jaintia hills district by Assam police-forest personnel, which killed five Meghalaya residents and one Assam guard.
Roy Kupar Synrem, general secretary of Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC), in statement to media stated that they have urged the CEM of the JHADC and the Meghalaya government to issue a statement clarifying that villages under Block 1, Psiar-Khanduli (including Mukroh) fall under its jurisdiction and also want the JHADC and the state government to take up the issue with both the KAAC and the Assam government”.