Shillong, Oct 14: The Joint Action Committee (JAC) on border issues today met with Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar to urge the state government to strengthen security personnel and police presence in Lapangap village to ensure the safety and security of residents during the paddy harvesting season.
There have been clashes in the village due to a border dispute with Assam. The most recent of these led to the death of a man from the Assam side last week.
The JAC expressed concerns that the residents of Lapangap would face starvation if they did not harvest their crops due to hindrance from those from Assam.
The JAC sought the Meghalaya government’s intervention to deploy adequate security personnel/police in and around Lapangap during the harvesting period, ensure continuous patrolling and monitoring to prevent any intrusion or unlawful activity, provide necessary protection and confidence to the residents so that they may peacefully harvest their paddy fields without fear or disturbance.
The government was also requested to strengthen existing security personnel with adequate non-lethal crowd control equipment and defensive arms and other resources.
The JAC highlighted the importance of safeguarding the people’s right to peacefully carry out their agricultural work while ensuring law and order in the area.
The JAC also demanded that the government provide immediate relief measures, including food supplies, livelihood assistance and agricultural recovery support, to help the people rebuild and restore their means of living.
The CM was reportedly positive towards the request for extra security, the JAC said in a release today.
