A day after a person was killed in a clash between two groups near the Assam-Meghalaya border, NPP supremo and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Friday urged people not to resort to violence and called for peace in the interstate border areas. Sangma, who is in Imphal for a two-day visit to Manipur, termed the incident as “unfortunate”, and said the root cause of the problem is the “differences in terms of the border between Assam and Meghalaya”. One person was killed and several others reportedly injured on Thursday following a clash between two groups over paddy harvesting in Assam’s West Karbi Anglong district along the border with Meghalaya. According to Assam Police, residents from Meghalaya allegedly began harvesting crops in an area claimed by both states, prompting opposition from villagers in Tapat under Hamren police station.
The confrontation escalated into a scuffle, leaving one person dead and several injured. “The Lapangap area is a point of difference. We are in talks with Assam. We (Meghalaya) are maintaining our stand and Assam is maintaining its stand too. But we have discussed and are trying to resolve this issue,” Sangma said. “It is a very unfortunate incident, and I appeal to people that we should not resort to violence. We should look at dialogue to resolve the problem.” The chief minister said both states had anticipated tension during the harvesting season and deployed police personnel to maintain order. “Security forces from both sides appealed for restraint, but a scuffle broke out between the two groups. During that scuffle, one person lost his life,” Sangma noted. He added that such incidents are not new, as farmers from both sides often cultivate in disputed areas.
“During the harvesting season, there is a problem as farmers from one side stop the other. We try to resolve the issue at the local level by involving stakeholders and forming a peace committee,” he said. Sangma emphasised the ongoing efforts to settle the decades-old border dispute, which involves 12 areas of difference between the two states. “We have resolved six areas. For the last 52 years, no government has taken this initiative. It is only in our time that we resolved six issues. Six more are left, and we are working on that,” he said. Reiterating his call for calm, Sangma urged citizens to cooperate and rely on dialogue. “If the people talk to each other and maintain peace, the authorities will be able to resolve the issue,” he said.