As a mark of protest against the delay to resolve the boundary dispute, activists of five pressure groups on Saturday burnt effigies of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Meghalaya home minister Lahkmen Rymbui near the CM’s official residence.
The surprise protest was held under the ‘Save Hynniewtrep Mission’ which is being spearheaded by five pressure groups that include the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC), East Jaintia National Council (EJNC), Jaintia Students’ Movement (JSM), Hynniewtrep Achik National Movement (HANM) and Confederation of Ri Bhoi People (CoRP).
Before burning the effigies, HYC president Robertjune Kharjahrin said, “We want to make it very clear that this is not a fight between the Khasis and Assamese people but this is a fight against the failure of the three governments – Government of India, Government of Meghalaya and Government of Assam – to resolve the long pending boundary dispute.”
At least six persons including five Khasi villagers and one Assam forest guard have been killed in a firing by Assam police at Mukroh village in West Jaintia Hills District on November 22.
Kharjahrin said the firing incident could have been avoided if the MDA government keeps its promise to resolve the second phase of border within 45 days as per its recent notification.
“Instead of deploying adequate police force, the state government had already decided to demand a CBI enquiry (into the Mukroh firing incident) but don’t they know that the root cause of all this is due to a border dispute that has been lying unresolved for the past 50 years,” he said.
He also questioned what will happen to Mukroh village if the CBI comes and trials the case in West Karbi Anglong district of Assam.
“But we make it amply clear that we will not allow the case to be trial in West Karbi Anglong but we will ensure that the case is registered and trial in Meghalaya’s West Jaintia Hills by the CBI court because we don’t want to lose Mukroh to Assam,” Kharjahrin said.
The HYC leader said the five groups also sent a clear message to the Union home minister and the 36 MLAs of Khasi-Jaintia Hills that they should start the second phase of border talks and resolve the dispute in the remaining six areas of difference before the 2023 Assembly polls.
“Today we have only come in front of the CM’s residence so don’t force us to come to the residences of all the 36 MLAs and burn their effigies, if they further delay to resolve the border dispute,” he threatened.
Earlier, there was a heated argument between the leaders of the groups and officials of the district administration after they were not allowed to burn the effigies in front of the CM’s bungalow at Polo.
Later, the protesters were asked to carry out their protest in the middle of the road, which was just fifty meters away from the CM’s residence.