Nongkrem MLA Ardrent M Basaiawmoit today raised his concern the statement made by the Karbi Student Association (KSA) that a Manipur-like situation will arise in Meghalaya if they lose their land.
Basiawmoit said, during a zero hour notice today in the Assembly, that such statements are highly provocative and should attract punishment under the Indian Penal Code as it is enough to create disharmony, especially in the border areas between Meghalaya and Assam where many Karbis live.
In response, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said that on August 16 a meeting of the regional committees, set up by the two governments as part of the border dispute resolution process, for West Jaintia Hills (Meghalaya) and West Karbi Anglong (Assam) was held at Khanduli border outpost. Khanduli was the site of a recent flare up in the dispute between the two states.
Sangma said that a government minister from Assam, P Hazarika, rebuked the KSA for drawing parallels with Manipur and said that such statements that would aggravate the situation should not be made.
“The minister from Assam also mentioned that the aim of the committee is to bring peace and harmony between the two communities and to find out the best possible solution to resolve the border issue,” Sangma said.
Student unions are also making their own efforts to keep the peace and bring back normalcy, the CM informed.
Nevertheless, the state government is keeping the situation under close watch and all efforts are being made to ensure that law and order is not disturbed, Sangma said. “The district police are on high alert and regular patrolling is being conducted in and around the area. The police are also regularly meeting the village elders and the general public, appealing to them to maintain peace and tranquility in the area and sufficient force has been deployed in various outpost in the area and police station at Nartiang to deal with the law and order situation in the area.”
The police in question from the Meghalaya side comprise armed branch and SF-10 personnel. The CM further stated that the recent sanctioning of seven new border outposts has helped in preventing further conflict and augmented the strength and presence of Meghalaya police on the border.
Another meeting at the Chief Ministerial level will be held in the first half of October between Sangma and his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma and the two will be formally taking decisions forwards. After this, the pair will visit Khanduli and other disputed areas.
