Guwahati: Fresh tensions erupted at a village on the disputed Assam-Meghalaya border on Wednesday after a mob uprooted saplings and dismantled wooden structures erected by the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) of Assam for a plantation drive.
According to sources, the incident occurred in Lapangap village, a site in disputed Assam-Meghalaya border claimed by residents of both West Jaintia Hills district, Meghalaya and Karbi Anglong district, Assam.
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Sources indicate that around 400 residents from Lapangap and surrounding villages, backed by various social organizations from Meghalaya, converged on the plantation area around 11 am. They uprooted the saplings and set fire to the wooden structures, alleging that Assam was attempting to encroach upon their territory, which led to the tensions.
Following the incident, West Jaintia Hills district Deputy Commissioner Abhinav Kumar Singh confirmed the deployment of adequate police forces at the Assam-Meghalaya border, stating the situation is now under control.
He revealed that the KAAC had initiated the plantation activities at the disputed Assam-Meghalaya border “without prior notice to the district administrations.”
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He added that information about the drive reached his administration a week ago, and his administration had restrained their people from going to the site because the authority scheduled the peace meeting on Wednesday.
Police and civic officials from Karbi Anglong later visited the spot, along with border magistrates of Meghalaya, successfully de-escalating the immediate border tension.
The authority has rescheduled the peace meeting for Thursday to seek an “amicable solution.” DC Abhinav Kumar cited the need for a “village level” peace meeting where “both headmen and their councils can sit together and come to a solution so that they can avoid such conflicts in the future and maintain the status quo.”
Previous discussions between district commissioners and superintendents of police resulted in an agreement to maintain the status quo until both state governments reach a solution.
According to DC Singh, while Lapangap village is largely within Meghalaya, the specific hill where the plantation took place is a point of contention, with villagers from both states asserting their claims.
A leader from the influential Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) voiced full support for Lapangap’s residents, accusing Karbi Anglong of encroachment. “So, we dismantled all structures and uprooted the saplings. Assam Police fired tear gas shells but we will continue to defend our land,” he asserted.
KSU general secretary Neilkee Mukhim alleged that the Karbi people residing near Lapangap had defied an existing agreement between the two sides by carrying out the plantation.
Notably, Assam and Meghalaya share a long-standing border dispute across 12 areas along their 884.9-km-long inter-state boundary.