Mukul Sangma alleges that the Govt’s of Meghalaya and Assam disconnected themselves from the SOP that has been laid down based on mutually agreed terms to deal with the problems along the disputed border areas
Mukroh (Meghalaya), Nov 23 (PTI): Leader of the Opposition in Meghalaya Assembly Mukul Sangma on Wednesday described the killing of unarmed villagers allegedly by Assam Police as a ‘case of genocide’ and demanded action against the culprits.
Sangma, Trinamool Congress leader and a former chief minister, visited this village near the disputed border between Assam and Meghalaya where six people were killed in violence on Tuesday and talked to the victims’ families.
“The incident occurred well within the jurisdiction of the State of Meghalaya. From the inputs I have received from ground zero, it is a fit case of genocide,” he said.
Sangma alleged that those who did this had no regard for the likelihood of injury to people or loss of lives.
Violence had broken out at the border between the two States in the early hours of Tuesday after a truck allegedly laden with illegally felled timber was intercepted by forest guards from Assam. Six people, including a forest guard, were killed.
Five of them are from his State and the forest guard was from Assam.
The former chief minister alleged that the Governments of Meghalaya and Assam disconnected themselves from the standard operating procedure (SOP) that has been laid down based on mutually agreed terms to deal with the problems along the disputed border areas.
“The collective efforts put together by the preceding Governments in the past have been completely ignored,” Sangma said.
The leader of the Opposition also visited the Lalong Civil hospital at Jowai to meet the injured people and their families where he distributed financial assistance to their next of kin.
He also spoke with the hospital authorities and asked them to make arrangements to take the injured persons to a better facility in Shillong.
