India's West Bengal State Chief Mamata Banerjee has expressed distress over the violence that erupted on Tuesday on the border separating Assam and Meghalaya states which left six people dead.
“I am gravely anguished by the tragic instance of firing at Mukroh, Meghalaya, that claimed the lives of 6 people. I express my heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in this conflict. I earnestly pray that peace and calm prevail for the greater good,” Banerjee wrote Wednesday on Twitter.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also took to Twitter, urging federal Home Minister Amit Shah to step in and resolve the border dispute between the two states.
What Happened on the Meghalaya-Assam Border?
At least six people, including a forest guard, were killed in the skirmish along the border a day before.
According to the initial reports, Assam’s Forest Guard opened fire on people from Meghalaya when they returned with allegedly illegally felled timber. Police officials said that a mob from the Meghalaya side later attacked the forest guards and police, provoking fire from the Assam side in an attempt to restore order.
The Assam government on Wednesday suspended two police and forest officials and transferred a superintendent of police. The state government also initiated an inquiry by a retired High Court judge into the matter.