A group on Wednesday dug up saplings and knocked down wooden fencing put up to guard the plants, creating tension in an Assam-Meghalaya border village, according to officials. The KAAC of Assam had carried out the plantation drive in Lapangap village. Police personnel were stationed in the village.
A hill in Lapangap, where the incident occurred, is occupied by people of both Meghalaya's West Jaintia Hills district as well as Karbi Anglong district in Assam.
Some 400 residents of Lapangap and other communities, supported by members of some social organisations of Meghalaya, visited the plantation site, pulled up the saplings and set on fire the wooden fence around 11 am, alleging that Assam was attempting to intrude into their state by undertaking the plantation.
West Jaintia Hills district Deputy Commissioner Abhinav Kumar Singh stated that sufficient police forces have been deployed and the situation is under control. "It was a secret plantation activity done by the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council without giving any prior intimation to the (West Jaintia Hills) district administrations," Singh informed the media.
He added that the news about the plantation reached the district administration for the first time a week ago and "we have held back our people from approaching the area as the peace meeting was to be held today." The planned peace meeting at Tahpat village did not take place as no one showed up, said the official.
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Sufficient police personnel were sent to the place along with three border magistrates for coordination with the Assam government. The police personnel will be present at the spot to prevent untoward incidents, Singh stated. Police and civil officers of Karbi Anglong also reached the spot along with Meghalaya's border magistrates and tension was dissipated, he added.
The DC informed that a peace conference will be convened on Thursday to resolve the issue amicably.
He added, "Meetings have taken place at the DC and SP level, and now we desire the peace meeting to take place at the village level so that both headmen and their councils sit together and arrive at a solution so that such conflicts can be prevented in future and status quo be preserved." At earlier meetings, it was agreed that status quo should be preserved until both Assam and Meghalaya governments reach a solution.
The DC stated Lapangap village belonged to Meghalaya except for a hill where the plantation was done which was claimed by villagers on both sides.
A KSU leader said it gave its wholehearted support to Lapangap's people accusing Karbi Anglong residents of encroaching in the area. "So, we razed all the structures and pulled out the saplings. Assam Police used tear gas shells but we will go on protecting our land," he added.
KSU general secretary Neilkee Mukhim claimed that the Karbi people who are living adjacent to Lapangap village had planted the trees against an understanding between the two sides.
Assam and Meghalaya have been having long-standing differences in 12 regions of their 884.9-km-long inter-state border. In March 2022, the two governments entered into an agreement in New Delhi, in the presence of the Union Home Minister, to settle issues in six places in the first phase.
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The first-phase settlement for 36.79 sq km of contested territory saw Assam getting 18.46 sq km and Meghalaya receiving 18.33 sq km. The other six places, where the differences are complicated, are being dealt with in the second phase. Meghalaya was separated from Assam in 1972.
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