By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 14: Calling the concerns raised by residents of Lapangap “genuine”, Meghalaya Director General of Police Idashisha Nongrang on Thursday said additional security personnel have been deployed to the troubled border village following complaints that crops planted by villagers were being uprooted at night.
Speaking to reporters, Nongrang said a significant number of villagers from Lapangap had come to Shillong to highlight the difficulties they were facing in carrying out cultivation activities in the disputed area.
She said the villagers informed the authorities that while cultivation had not stopped, they were facing problems as crops planted during the day were allegedly uprooted during the night.
According to the DGP, the villagers also expressed dissatisfaction over what they perceived as inadequate support from the authorities.
Nongrang said that following discussions led by Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, the government decided to send an additional platoon of SF-10 personnel to Lapangap. She said the personnel had left Shillong early Thursday morning for the disputed area. She further stated that two platoons had already been deployed earlier and added that future deployment would depend on the evolving law and order situation on the ground.
“It is a developing situation,” Nongrang said, adding that assessments would continue from time to time depending on the circumstances.
On the demand for a police outpost in the area, the DGP said a police presence already exists nearby and referred to the recent inauguration of the Barato outpost located around 16 to 19 kilometres from Lapangap.
She also noted that Assam has continued to insist on maintaining status quo in the disputed area and said Meghalaya would assess whether there was a need to set up its own camp depending on the situation.
The remarks came a day after villagers of Lapangap, accompanied by members of pressure groups, marched to the Secretariat in Shillong under the leadership of the Dorbar Shnong of Lapangap.
A brief scuffle broke out after protesters attempted to enter the Secretariat premises, but police personnel on duty prevented them from doing so.
The residents alleged that authorities from Assam were interfering with their farming activities and preventing them from cultivating their land. They staged a demonstration outside the Secretariat demanding safety and security during the cultivation season.
Formal talks on the six remaining areas of difference between Meghalaya and Assam have remained stalled for years despite recurring incidents along the border.
Tynsong had recently stated that the resumption of the second phase of border talks now depends on the reconstitution of regional committees by the new Assam cabinet to review the disputed sectors.
