Meghalaya CM stakes claim on Assam border village, says Mukroh under West Jaintia Hills

Dismissing his Assam counterpart's claim, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on March 21 asserted in the assembly that Mukroh village on the disputed inter-state border 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. 

Also Read: Assam CM and Meghalaya Deputy CM speaks on Mukroh's boundary jurisdiction: Whose claim is true?

"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. 

Earlier in 2022, six people – five from Mukroh and a forest guard from Assam – were killed in a clash that broke out along the disputed border after a truck laden with "illegally felled timber" was allegedly intercepted by the forest personnel from the neighbouring state.

On March 13, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed the Assam Assembly that Mukroh, where a clash took place between the Assam Police and Meghalaya people, is within the boundary of Assam and is under the jurisdiction of West Karbi Anglong district. This statement comes as a surprise as earlier, CM Sarma had mentioned Mukroh as a place of Meghalaya during a state cabinet meeting on November 23, 2022.

The Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, on the other hand, has reiterated that Mukroh falls within Meghalaya. Speaking to the media, Tynsong said that the government has made its stand clear time and again that Mukroh falls within the boundary of Meghalaya. He also expressed his surprise over the statement made by Assam CM as the second phase of border talks are set to start soon.