BY THE EDITOR
Nearly a year after the incident of firing at Mukroh in West Jaintia Hills that claimed the lives of six persons on November 22, 2022, the entire truth behind the blood-letting is yet to be known. The only truth known since the day of the incident is that Assam Police personnel had opened fire on an agitated mob comprising residents of Mukroh killing five of them besides an Assam forest department staff; it is yet to be ascertained as to the circumstances that led the Assam policemen to pull the trigger at random although both Meghalaya and the neighbouring state have their versions of it. Immediately after, as tension brewed in both the states and there were a few attacks on vehicles, the two state governments approached the Union Home ministry seeking investigation into the incident by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). However, the CBI never took up the investigation.
The two state governments though, did not wait, but constituted their respective judicial commissions to probe the incident. Ironically, now, with the first anniversary approaching, both the governments have decided to go back to the CBI to find the truth. The decision was taken at the border talks held in Guwahati on September 30, seemingly after realisation dawned that the two judicial commissions have achieved little so far and are unlikely to do any better; it is a colossal waste of time and material resources and, unfortunately, a sad commentary on the working of the judicial commissions for no fault of theirs. The ‘failure’ of the judicial commissions is attributed to the alleged reluctance on the part of witnesses to make their submissions; the judicial commission constituted by Assam submitted its report just days before the decision to wind up the two was taken albeit, and reportedly, without Meghalaya witnesses helping in any manner. However, the judicial commission constituted by Meghalaya was luckier as Assam witnesses, including officials, did make their submissions.
The situation raises a pertinent question as to the utility of such judicial commissions if they are to remain at the mercy of witnesses who may have the liberty to not cooperate if they so wished thus making a mockery of the entire exercise. As for the two state governments, and in retrospect, they should have pursued their initial move for an investigation by the CBI into the Mukroh firing. Being the country’s premiere investigating agency with years of varied experience, the CBI has the wherewithal to carry out such tasks to the finish without having to depend on the whims of witnesses. Be that as it may, much time has already gone for nothing, and it is but imperative now that the CBI is handed over the case at the earliest so that the truth is out and culprits brought to book.