Border Issue: Meghalaya and Assam CMs to make joint visits to sensitive zones before month end

The CMs also would be telling the officials and residents on both sides to refrain from indulging in any situation that might result in tension along the borders

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma today said that he along with his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma will be jointly visiting disputed areas along the border of the two states before this month end.

“I have been in constant touch with the Assam counterpart, we are going to meet in a couple of weeks definitely before the month end. We have also decided together that joint visits will be made especially to the sensitive zones to build up the confidence of the people and also to ensure to ask our respective administration, our respective citizens and the officials concerned to restrain from any kind of situation that can lead to the situation getting tense,” CM Sangma told reporters today in Shillong.

For last 50 years these things have been going on. WE mneed to understand that the reason the border talks are going on is prescisely so that such kind of incidents don’t happen. These incidents are happening because there are differences. We realise that now it is more important to find solutions at the earliest so that none of such incidents happen in the future.

Responding to questions regarding recent incident of clashes in Khanduli along the West Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya and West Karbi Anglong in Assam, CM Sangma said, “For the last 50 years these things have been going on. What we need to understand is that the reason the border talks are going on is precisely so that these kind of incidents do not happen. These incidents are happening because there are differences. We realise that now it is more important to find solutions at the earliest so that none of such incidents happen in the future”.
Meanwhile, Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister and Chairman of West Jaintia Hills Regional Committee on Border, Sniawbhalang Dhar, on Monday said that he has asked the deputy commissioner of West Jaintia Hills to form a peace committee along with his West Karbi Anglong counterpart in view of recent tensions at Khanduli, along the Assam-Meghalaya border.
On May 11, a clash broke out between the Khasi and the Karbi communities at Khanduli village along the inter-state border in West Jaintia Hills District. At least two people were injured in the clash on the Assam side.
As per inputs, the incident took place near Langhempi village under Hamren police station.
One of the injured has been identified as Albertson Timung, a pharmacist by profession.
The injured were rushed to the Hamren Civil Hospital.
Earlier, in November 2022, six people, including five from Meghalaya, were killed in the alleged disputed areas of West Karbi Anglong and West Jaintia Hill districts, which led to strained relations between the two states for a while. However, timely reactions from both Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Meghalaya counterpart, Conrad Sangma, prevented an escalation of tensions.

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