SHILLONG, Nov 30: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) and four other pressure groups on Wednesday asked the state government to expedite the exercise of setting up police border outposts at seven “sensitive” locations along the 884.9 km boundary with Assam.
The other four groups are the Federation of Khasi, Jaintia and Garo People, Hynniewtrep National Youth Front, Ri-Bhoi Youth Federation and Jaintia Students’ Union.
We expect the outposts to be equipped with all necessary infrastructure and manpower to ensure the safety and security of the Khasi villagers residing along the interstate border,” KSU president, Lambokstarwell Marngar told The Shillong Times. “Setting up these outposts can prevent the Assam police from intruding into the state,” he said.
Marngar said the decision taken by the state Cabinet to increase police deployment along the border is not new, as the pressure groups have been demanding the outposts for several years now.
“We are of the view that the state government has taken this decision very late. The incumbent government and those of the past failed to set up the PBOs despite repeated incidents of atrocities and harassment against the local villagers by the Assam authorities,” he said.
Recalling the Langpih incident in 2010 that claimed a few lives, Marngar said the state government then had also decided to set up PBOs but did not take any concrete steps.
“We will be following up on how serious this government is. We hope this decision does not remain only in the corridors of the secretariat and has not been taken to appease the pressure groups agitated by the Mukroh shooting incident,” he said.
The KSU president said it is high time to let Assam know it can no longer show the big brother attitude.
“The state government needs to stand its ground and give a befitting reply if the Assam government continues to encroach upon the territory of the state,” he added.
He felt there should not be any difficulty in resolving the long-pending interstate boundary dispute if there is a political will. He also stressed the need for the Centre to step in or intervene for resolving the issue.
“For the past 50 years, our people residing along the interstate border have faced harassment from the Assam police personnel and threats from the Karbi insurgent groups. The suffering and the death of our innocent people have to come to an end,” Marngar said.
He said the Centre should ensure the safety and security of the Khasi villagers till a permanent solution to the long-pending issue is arrived at.
“Before arriving at any conclusion on the boundary issue, the state government needs to take into confidence the local villagers, the traditional institutions and even the autonomous district councils. The state government should not repeat the mistake committed ahead of signing the agreement on the six sectors taken up in the first phase,” he said.
Marngar also sought a review of the March 29 agreement to ensure all the Khasi villages left out of the first six sectors are included in Meghalaya.
Meanwhile, the West Khasi Hills units of the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) and Hynniewtrep A’chik National Movement (HANM) urged the district Deputy Commissioner Garod LSN Dykes to strengthen security in the villages bordering Assam.
They also wanted the government to ensure that the proposed border outposts in sensitive areas of the states should be made fully functional at the earliest to safeguard the people living in such areas.
