Shillong, March 13: Countering the claim made by the Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said that Mukroh is well within Meghalaya territory.

“Our stand is very clear that Mukroh is well within Meghalaya. Even till this moment it is under the possession of Meghalaya,” Tynsong told reporters on Monday.

He was reacting to Sarma’s statement informing the Assam Assembly that Mukroh is within the boundary of Assam and is under the jurisdiction of the West Karbi Anglong district.

On November 22, last year six persons including five Khasi villagers and one Assam forest guard were killed in an unprovoked firing by the Assam police at Mukroh village in West Jaintia Hills District.

When asked, Tynsong said, “I don’t know why such a statement was made by the Assam CM because now we are in the process of stepping into the second phase of talk. I personally feel he should not say that. It is very unfortunate if he had made the statement inside the House,” while reiterating “But let me tell you one more thing very clearly that Mukroh area falls under Meghalaya.”

The deputy chief minister ruled out that the state government will shoot a protest letter to the Assam government and said, “Not necessarily because the talk will start again so just wait for that.”

He informed that the government is working out on priority to reconstitute the regional committees to take the second phase of border talks forward for resolving the remaining six areas of difference shared between the two states.

“We have already made it very clear to the people of the state that the second phase of talks will start very soon so will work accordingly,” Tynsong said.

On March 29, last year a memorandum of understanding was signed between Assam and Meghalaya in presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah ending the dispute in six of the twelve areas of difference.