The Meghalaya Chief Minister has contradicted his Assam counterpart's claim that Mukroh village on the inter-state border belongs to Assam. This comes after a violent clash last year, where six people lost their lives over a disputed territory, with Sangma stating that Mukroh is a part of Meghalaya, backed up by census code and election records.
Dismissing his Assam counterpart's claim, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Tuesday asserted in the assembly that Mukroh village on the disputed inter-state border, where a violent clash claimed six lives last year, is a part of the hill state. He said residents of Mukroh are beneficiaries of various schemes of his government. Sangma's statement comes weeks after Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said in the assembly that Mukroh is a part of his state.
"I have clearly stated that Mukroh is very much a part of Meghalaya. Facts and figures indicate that. Other statements may have been made but our stand is clear," Sangma told the assembly. "Census code states that Mukroh is under the West Jaintia Hills district. Elections were conducted and voting during the recent Meghalaya assembly polls took place in Mukroh as well. The village has two polling stations and is a part of Mokaiaw constituency," he said, while replying to a supplementary question raised by Voice of the People's Party MLA Adelbert Nongrum.
Six people – five from Mukroh and a forest guard from Assam – were killed in a clash that broke out along the disputed border on November 22 last year after a truck laden with "illegally felled timber" was allegedly intercepted by the forest personnel from the neighbouring state.