The state police have deployed an SF-10 platoon and two platoons of Meghalaya Police Battalion (MLP) in Lapangap village in West Jaintia Hills district to protect farmers of the border village from alleged harassment from Assam side. Informing this on Thursday, Director General of Police Idashisha Nongrang also said setting up of a police camp in the area is also under consideration following Assam police setting up a camp amid the ongoing tensions. Deployment of the additional forces in Lapangap came in the wake of a mass protest by the villagers in Shillong on Wednesday when they demanded for adequate security for farmers in carrying out their farming activities.
The villagers alleged that their crops were being destroyed at night by groups from adjacent Karbi Anglong in Assam. The DGP said the deployment was decided at a meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister, which the police department “seconded”. “They (SF-10) had gone today, and they should be reaching there by now as they had left early in the morning,” she added. On the current strength, the DGP said, “A platoon at the moment and we will see depending on the situation… whether we need to put in more people or not.” Additionally, two MLP platoons were deployed in the sensitive border region earlier this week.