'For how long will CM Sangma allow Himanta Biswa to…': TMC MP on border firing
Six people, including a forest guard, were killed in firing at the Assam-Meghalaya border in the early hours of Tuesday.
Trinamool Congress leader and MP Abhishek Banerjee targeted Conrad K Sangma-led Meghalaya government over the violence at a disputed border with Assam in the early hours of Tuesday that killed six people, including a forest guard. Expressing shock and grief over the firing incident, the Lok Sabha member said it exposes the “ineptitude of the MDA (Meghalaya Democratic Alliance) Govt, failing its own people.”
Banerjee tweeted, "I am shocked and deeply saddened by the extremely unfortunate firing incident at Mukroh, Meghalaya which took away lives of five innocent civilians and a forest guard from Assam."
"For how long will CM @SangmaConrad allow @himantabiswa to take Meghalaya for granted? For how long should Meghalayans live in fear and insecurity. For how long will this injustice go on?" he added.
BJP is an alliance partner in the MDA government while Trinamool is the principal opposition in the legislative assembly.
The Sangma government said the violence occurred at Mukhroh in the state’s West Jaintia Hills due to “unprovoked” firing. The Assam government, however, said the incident took place in the state’s West Karbi Anglong district when forest personnel opened fire to save their lives from “unknown miscreants” smuggling timber.
Both the state governments said they will seek a probe by a central agency into the firing. They also announced an ex-gratia of ₹5 lakh to the kin of the deceased.
The incident comes against the backdrop of the two states agreeing to resolve their five-decade-old border dispute in six out of 12 contested areas along the 885 km boundary and ahead of assembly elections in Meghalaya early next year.
Former Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma termed the incident “genocide” and hit out at both the state government for failing to protect the lives of the citizens.
