NONGPOH:
Jirang legislator Sosthenes Sohtun, on September 3, refuted the allegations of the headman of Patharkhmah village that he had collected land documents from traditional heads of various Himas and submitted them to the government during the first phase of border talks between Meghalaya and Assam.
On August 30, the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) had organised a protest rally at Patharkhmah village against the border settlement, and during the rally, the headman of Patharkhmah village, Najim Kharmalki, had accused the Jirang MLA of discreetly collecting land documents from Hima Jirang, Hima Nongspung and Hima Nongkhlaw, and submitting them to the government to finalise the border settlement.
Speaking to the press on Saturday, Sohtun said that the allegations were baseless and untrue, and that Kharmalki had made the comments only to tarnish his image and mislead the people of the constituency.
An angry Sohtun told Kharmalki to provide proof that he had indeed collected the land documents from the various traditional heads, who he said can also verify his claims. He further stated that it is the duty of the Regional Committee and the government to probe the allegations.
Sohtun said he wanted to clarify to the people of the constituency about the false allegations, but they can also ask the traditional heads of Hima Jirang, Hima Nongspung and Hima Nongkhlaw for the facts.