One killed, another injured in clash along Assam-Meghalaya border

Guwahati: One person was killed and another injured on Thursday following a violent clash between two groups over paddy harvesting in Assam’s West Karbi Anglong district, along the border with Meghalaya, police said.

Tension has been simmering along the inter-state border for the past week, with both sides claiming ownership of the agricultural land where the incident took place.

According to police, the clash broke out when a group of people from Meghalaya allegedly began harvesting paddy on the disputed land, triggering opposition from residents of Tapat village under Hamren police station in Assam.

The altercation soon escalated, leading to a violent confrontation between villagers from Lapangap in Meghalaya and Tapat in Assam.

“In the melee, one person belonging to the Karbi community died,” a senior Meghalaya police officer told IANS.

The deceased was identified as 48-year-old Oriwell Timung. Another person sustained injuries and was taken to the hospital for treatment, officials said.

Assam Police used tear gas shells to disperse the crowd and bring the situation under control. The body of the deceased has been sent for post-mortem examination.

Officials said a meeting of the Inter-State Border Peace Committee was held on October 6, where it was decided that agricultural and developmental activities in the sensitive area would remain suspended until peace was fully restored.

However, Thursday’s incident took place despite that agreement. Following the clash, the Meghalaya government imposed a night curfew at Lapangap village in West Jaintia Hills district to prevent further escalation.

Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said additional police forces have been deployed, and both district administrations are in constant touch to maintain peace and order.

Assam and Meghalaya share an 884.9-km-long inter-state border, with disputes persisting in 12 areas. Lapangap falls within one of the six sectors still awaiting resolution. Both state governments had earlier resolved six other disputed sectors through a memorandum of understanding signed in New Delhi in March 2022.

Efforts are ongoing to reach a permanent settlement in the remaining areas to prevent the recurrence of such violent incidents.

IANS