Guwahati: All India Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale has filed a case on behalf of his party with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) against the Government of Assam concerning the “tragic and shocking incident of unprovoked firing and use of lethal force by Assam Forest Guards against residents of Meghalaya on November 22 in Mukhrow where 6 people were killed,” the leader said in a statement.
The case states that five people from Meghalaya killed in the unprovoked firing were unarmed and members of a Scheduled Tribe who were exercising their constitutional right to forest produce. “The use of lethal force against unarmed persons by Assam Forest Officials was unprovoked and illegal. The case seeks an immediate independent probe as well as an order to the Assam Government to withdraw all Assam Forces personnel who are currently stationed illegally within the territory of Meghalaya,” Gokhale said in a statement.
Also read | Meghalaya firing: 6 dead, internet suspended, Assam border on alert