On the recent conflict in the border areas of Khanduli and Moojem, the Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the Jaiñtia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC), Thombor Shiwat, today maintained that both villages belong to Meghalaya.
Informing that in the joint meeting between the Deputy Commissioner of West Jaintia Hills and the DC of West Karbi Anglong last week, the latter claimed that Khanduli falls under Assam, Shiwat said, “We strongly condemn the claim made by the DC of West Karbi Anglong that has only angered the residents of Khanduli because it is the JHADC that take cares of Khanduli and both it and Moojem are under the district council and Meghalaya.”
Mukroh, the site of a massacre perpetrated by Assam police in November last year, is also very much under Meghalaya, he added.
“The entire executive committee of the council has conducted a survey and seen the demarcation and boundary of Mukroh village and all the evidence clearly shows that it is under our state and under the JHADC,” the CEM stated. “We confirmed that these areas are under us and we encourage the residents there not to worry and fear and not to resort to any aggression until the matter is resolved by both [states].”
The Assam authorities at the district level have been less than cooperative, however, as they recently set up a forest toll gate and did not attend a meeting called to resolve the issue.
“All we can do now is to maintain the status quo,” Shiwat added.
