Conrad calls for dialogue over aggression
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 10: An eerie calm prevails in Lapangap village along the volatile interstate border with Assam a day after a violent clash that resulted in the death of a Karbi man from Assam.
Locals remained indoors as heavy police presence was noticed on Friday.
About 30 police personnel had already been posted in Lapangap since a clash erupted in June this year, while another batch of around 25 personnel arrived on Thursday, followed by 25-30 more in full riot gear on Friday, a senior official stated.
Lapangap headman, Deimonmi Lyngdoh, claimed the villagers were not responsible for the death of the Karbi man, identified as Orivel Timung from Tapat village, stating they actually fled an armed attack by approximately 500 Karbi men during a harvesting operation for paddy crops.
“We could have died as over 500 Karbi men armed with dao and catapults attacked the harvest party. We ran for our lives along with the Meghalaya Police personnel,” the headman said.
He said the villagers had begun harvesting paddy around 9 am on Thursday after receiving permission from the district administration. “Within 10 to 15 minutes, we were attacked… Our people were strictly told not to carry any weapon and we complied. All of us ran home,” Lyngdoh said.
He claimed that they came to know later that the Karbi men outnumbered the Assam Police who prevented them from attacking the villagers of Lapangap.
He alleged that Karbi people not only from the neighbouring Tapat village but also from other nearby areas had joined in the assault.
The clash prompted Meghalaya Police to fire tear gas shells to disperse the mob, officials said. A night curfew was also imposed in the area later.
The June incident had also seen a violent confrontation between villagers of Lapangap and residents of nearby Karbi-inhabited areas, prompting both Assam and Meghalaya police to tighten security along the interstate border.
Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma has urged residents of both Assam and Meghalaya to choose dialogue over aggression in resolving the long-standing interstate border dispute.
He called for patience and cooperation from citizens as both governments continue efforts to reach a peaceful and permanent settlement.
Terming the incident unfortunate, Sangma said both police forces were trying to calm their respective crowds when the situation escalated.
“Both the police were restraining their own population to not be aggressive and cool down, but while the restraining was going on, the crowd size increased. They were larger in number, and there was a scuffle between two groups of people, and one person lost his life,” he explained, clarifying that the confrontation was entirely among civilians.
Reiterating the government’s focus on peaceful dialogue, Sangma said, “We urge [people to] allow the government to engage and talk while we resolve it. Whatever problems are there locally, if the people co-operate and tolerate each other, they will be able to evolve,” he added.
Calling for restraint and dialogue, Sangma said, “We should look at dialogue to resolve the issue.” (With PTI inputs)
