Tension erupts on disputed Assam-Meghalaya border

Mob ransacks structures, uproots saplings

Shillong: A mob on Wednesday uprooted saplings and dismantled wooden structures erected to protect the plants, leading to tension in a village on disputed Assam-Meghalaya border, officials said.

The plantation drive in Lapangap village was conducted by the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) of Assam.

Police personnel were deployed in the village.

A hill in Lapangap, on which the incident happened, is claimed by residents of both Meghalaya's West Jaintia Hills district and Karbi Anglong district of Assam.

Around 400 people of Lapangap and other villages, backed by members of several social organisations of Meghalaya, went to the plantation area, uprooted the saplings and burnt the wooden structure around 11 am, claiming that Assam was trying to encroach into their state by carrying out the plantation.

West Jaintia Hills district Deputy Commissioner Abhinav Kumar Singh said adequate police forces have been deployed and the situation is now under control.

"Plantation activities were carried out by the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council without prior notice to the (West Jaintia Hills) district administrations," Singh told PTI.

He said the information regarding the plantation first reached the district administration a week ago and "we have restrained our people from going to the site as the peace meeting was supposed to be held today." The scheduled peace meeting at Tahpat village did not take place as nobody turned up, the official said.

Adequate police forces were deployed at the site along with three border magistrates for effective coordination with the Assam government.

Singh said that the police personnel will be stationed at the site to check untoward incidents.

Police and civic officers from Karbi Anglong also visited the spot along with Meghalaya's border magistrates and tension was defused, he said.

The DC said that a peace meeting will be held on Thursday to find an amicable solution.

He said, "Meetings have been held at the DC and SP level, and now we want the peace meeting to happen at the village level so that both headmen and their councils can sit together and come to a solution so that such conflicts can be avoided in future and status quo be maintained." In previous meetings, it was decided that the status quo should be maintained till both Assam and Meghalaya governments come to a solution.

According to the DC, Lapangap village is part of Meghalaya except for a hill on which the plantation took place which villagers from either side claimed as their own.

A leader of the influential Khasi Students' Union (KSU) said it extended full support to Lapangap's residents alleging that Karbi Anglong people encroached into the area.

"So, we dismantled all structures and uprooted the saplings. Assam Police fired tear gas shells but we will continue to defend our land," he said.

KSU general secretary Neilkee Mukhim alleged that the Karbi people residing near Lapangap village had made the plantation defying an agreement made between the two sides.

Assam and Meghalaya have had longstanding disputes in 12 areas along their 884.9-km-long inter-state border.

In March 2022, the two states signed an agreement in New Delhi, in the presence of the Union Home Minister, to resolve issues in six areas during the first phase.

Under the first-phase settlement covering 36.79 sq km of disputed land, Assam received 18.46 sq km, while Meghalaya got 18.33 sq km.

The remaining six areas, where the differences are more complex, are now being addressed in the second phase.

Meghalaya was carved out of Assam in 1972.