By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 1: Aiborlang Shadap, who is the Barato-Mukroh MDC in the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council, has criticised the state government for its alleged step-motherly treatment to the police personnel deployed along the state’s border with Assam.
“I feel ashamed that our police personnel deployed at the border outposts are very weak,” Shadap said, referring to alleged lack of firepower, manpower and other logistical support.
Alleging that the government is treating the personnel like orphans, he said Assam police personnel, manning the border, are well-equipped to deal with any situation but the Meghalaya personnel are not equipped at all.
Citing an example, Shadap said the police battalion from Lumshnong in East Jaintia Hills, deployed at Lapangap for the past one month, is armed with only “lathis and shields”.
He claimed the police personnel, deployed at Mukroh, are in distress in the absence of proper accommodation. Only six police personnel are manning the temporary battalion camp at Saba, he said.
Shadap said the number of Meghalaya police personnel deployed at the border is far less compared to that of Assam. He said the government should have deployed a company each of the police at Saba, Mukroh and Barato, fully equipped with arms and ammunition.
He said there is only one police vehicle in the Barato police outpost which is not sufficient, especially when there is an emergency. He said the personnel deployed at Mukroh and Saba should be allotted one vehicle each.
The Barato-Mukroh MDC asked the government to set up more police outposts to provide better protection to the border villages and deploy more forces to border areas, not in the city.
“How can we protect our citizens if we cannot protect our boundaries? It is really sad that we are losing our land every day,” Shadap said.
He said the firearms of the police personnel, who came to Lapangap for the recent meeting of the deputy commissioners of West Jaintia Hills and West Karbi Anglong, appeared to be old and rusted.
“I am not sure if they will be able to fire in case there is any emergency,” Shadap said.
Expressing concern over the ongoing tension at Lapangap, he said officials from West Karbi Anglong and West Jaintia Hills districts visited the village on Thursday. He said the situation has not improved as the Khasi-Pnar villagers are not able to go to their agricultural land.
“It is time for harvesting but the people are suffering. I hope there is a solution to the problem at the earliest,” he added.