Shillong, Dec 26: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday accused the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance of surrendering to Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma as its “election funder” by not taking any concrete action over the killing of five Khasi villagers by Assam police at Mukroh in West Jaintia Hills.
This came after Sarma had stated in the Assam Legislative Assembly on December 24 that the brutal killing of five Meghalaya residents by Assam police personnel was an “act of self-defense against miscreants”.
In a statement, AITC national spokesperson Saket Gokhale said the statement was made while the probe is still ongoing and the case filed by the Trinamool Congress with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is still pending.
“After brutally killing five unarmed people of Meghalaya in unprovoked firing, this statement by the Assam CM is an act of rubbing salt on wounds,” he said.
He said what’s shocking, however, is the complete inaction of the MDA government in getting justice for the victims of the Mukroh murder.
“While an FIR was registered in the incident in Meghalaya, the MDA Govt has restrained the Meghalaya Police from arresting the Assam Police personnel responsible for this murder. The MDA Govt made a show of “we’re doing something” to pacify the people of Meghalaya but took zero concrete action,” Gokhale said.
Stating that NPP and BJP are allies, the AITC leader alleged that it is a well-known fact that Sarma not only controls the MDA government by remote control but is also one of the main people responsible for ensuring adequate election funding for the NPP.
“As the Meghalaya Assembly Elections approach, the priority of the NPP and CM Conrad Sangma is to ensure that Himanta Biswa Sarma and the BJP are kept happy rather than ensure justice for the victims of the Mukroh murder. This is also the reason why CM Conrad Sangma chose to appeal for Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s intervention in the matter rather than empower the Meghalaya Police to take action,” he added.
