The proposal by the governments of Meghalaya and Assam for CBI inquiry into the Mukroh incident has raised questions about the earlier assurance of the Central government of CBI probe into the incident.
During the boundary talks in Guwahati on September 30, the two states have decided to ask the CBI to take over the investigation into the 2022 Mukroh violence which left six people dead.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Meghalayan counterpart Conrad Sangma told media persons that both states had decided to close their respective judicial commissions looking into the Mukroh incident.
Sarma said that both state governments would now request the CBI to inquire into the incident. He also stated that the central agency will be asked to record the complaint in a neutral area, like Delhi, Kolkata, or any other location, rather than in Guwahati or Shillong.
On November 22, 2022, six persons were killed in gunfire in Mukroh. The victims include five villagers from Mukroh and a forest guard from Assam.
The latest proposal by the two states for a BI inquiry into the Mukroh incident has caused confusion.
On November 24, 2022, the Central government had announced that it had approved a CBI investigation into the incident of firing at Mukroh.
This was informed by the Ministry of Home Affairs after Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma met Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the incident.
“Meghalaya CM @SangmaConrad met Union Home & Co-op Minister @AmitShah today and requested CBI inquiry into unfortunate incident on Assam-Meghalaya border. Govt of Assam has also requested CBI inquiry into the matter. HM @AmitShah has assured that GOI will conduct CBI inquiry,” the MHA had said in a tweet.
Sangma even said that Shah had assured of a probe by a central agency into the “firing by Assam police” at Mukroh village.
With the latest proposal for CBI inquiry into the Mukroh incident, it is now clear that the assurance by the Home Ministry in November 2022 for CBI probe into the case has become just an assurance without any action followed.
