Assam-Meghalaya border row: Lapangap villagers allege arson by Assam miscreants
Rangbah Shnong (village head) of Lapangap alleged that a thatched house was burnt down by miscreants from Assam
A file image of leaders engaging in Assam-Meghalaya border talks. (AT Photo)
Shillong, July 7: The fragile peace in Lapangap village, located along the Assam-Meghalaya border in West Khasi Hills, has once again been disrupted.
Villagers from Meghalaya have alleged that miscreants from Assam set fire to several thatched huts over the weekend.
According to Deimonmi Lyngdoh, the Rangbah Shnong (village head) of Lapangap, a thatched house was burnt down by miscreants from Assam. “All materials were reduced to ashes and even our crops were damaged,” Lyngdoh said.
The village chief further claimed that around 15–20 miscreants torched three more thatched huts in Ladaw village, adjacent to Lum Chyrngan, on Sunday.
Confirming the incident, West Jaintia Hills Superintendent of Police Jagpal Dhanoa said, “We have received information from the village headman that a couple of thatched huts in agricultural fields were burnt.”
He added that these fields “have traditionally been cultivated by people from Lapangap village but fall within an area of difference.”
The area has been on edge since last week, when authorities from the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) planted saplings, which were later uprooted by residents from Meghalaya.
In retaliation, a wooden structure was allegedly set on fire by villagers from Meghalaya, prompting Assam police to fire tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Authorities from both Assam and Meghalaya had intervened last week to defuse tensions in parts of these long-disputed stretches.
Both states claim ownership of the area - Meghalaya refers to it as Block I and asserts historical claims over the land, currently administered by the KAAC in Assam.
Block II—another disputed region—lies between Meghalaya’s Ri-Bhoi district and Assam’s West Karbi Anglong district.
These two contentious blocks, along with four others, are slated to be taken up in the second phase of border talks between the two states.
Due to the dispute, Meghalaya Police are not permitted to enter the contested paddy fields for security operations.
However, special permission has been granted to protect farmers in the area. The state police can patrol up to Jongkasong village, which lies just short of the disputed territory.