NONGSTOIN: Normalcy returned in Langpih, West Khasi Hills district, on Thursday a day after a confrontation between locals and the Assam Police over the latter’s bid to set up an outpost in the area.
Assam Police, meanwhile, has intensified patrolling along the border.
An inspection by this correspondent at Umwali on Thursday revealed villagers building the Meghalaya Police temporary shelter at the village.
The MLA and MDC of Rambrai Jyrngam, Kimfa Marbaniang and Bajop Pyngrope respectively also visited Umwali.
Marbaniang lauded the West Khasi Hills Police for their efforts and took stock of Wednesday’s incident.
Pyngrope has urged the state government to find a solution to the repeated problems faced by the people of Umwali and those living in other border areas.
The MDC also suggested to the government for free registration of land for the villagers living in disputed areas since most of are economically backward.
BJ Laloo, Superintendent of Police, West Khasi Hills, informed that the situation has returned to normal, but both Assam and Meghalaya police are conducting patrolling. He also said that West Khasi Hills Police will be stationed at Umwali until further notice.
Patrolling intensified
Police patrolling at Langpih along the Assam-Meghalaya border has been intensified as a precautionary measure in the wake of the “confrontation” between officials of the two states over a land survey carried out by Assam for constructing of a government office building, our special correspondent adds from Guwahati.
A team comprising additional superintendent of Kamrup, Sanjiv Saikia, officer in charge of Boko police station, Jogendra Barman, Kamrup district development commissioner, Tankeswar Das and PWD officials had on Wednesday gone to Umwali village, about a kilometre away from Lower Lumpi Police outpost and 35 km from Boko for carrying out the survey.
However, when the team reached the spot, they were “confronted” by a police and district administration team from Meghalaya.
Reportedly, there was an argument with the Assam government officials over the jurisdiction of land which the Meghalaya team claimed to be theirs.
After a long argument, the Assam government officers showed the Meghalaya team the Survey of India and Boko revenue circle’s maps, claiming that the area in question actually belonged to Assam.
Additional SP Sanjiv Saikia, however, told the media later that officials of both states would take up the matter with their respective seniors who will hold a meeting regarding the matter within a few days. “Meghalaya officials failed to show any valid documents on the spot,” the additional SP said.
Speaking to The Shillong Times on Thursday, Saikia said the survey was completed on Wednesday for a composite structure of the police and civil administration.
“The structure may house a police station, outpost, border outpost or a forest office. Now, the next phase of action would be decided by the Kamrup deputy commissioner,” he added.
When asked whether the area in question belonged to a resident of Meghalaya, Saikia refuted the claim and instead said that the land belonged to Assam as substantiated by the documents.
The police official said that there has been no information of any untoward incident in the area till Thursday afternoon.
“As it is, our personnel stationed at the police outposts in Lower and Upper Lampi are patrolling the area,” the additional
Kamrup district development commissioner Tankeswar Das also clarified that Umwali is a revenue village under Boko revenue circle and after discussion the works will start soon. It may be mentioned that Langpih (called Lampi in Assam) has for long been an apple of discord between the two states even as several meetings, even at the highest level, over the years have failed to resolve the border impasse.
