1 killed, 'several' injured in clash along Assam-Meghalaya border over paddy harvesting

Diphu/Shillong, Oct 9 (PTI) One person was killed and several others reportedly injured on Thursday following a clash between two groups over paddy harvesting in Assam’s West Karbi Anglong district along the border with Meghalaya, police said.

Tension has prevailed on either side of the border since the last one week over harvesting of paddy, with both sides claiming that the land was theirs.

A meeting of the Inter State Border Peace Committee was held on October 6, where it was decided that agricultural and development activities in the area would be suspended till peace was fully restored along the border, officials said.

In the latest episode of violence, a group of people from Meghalaya allegedly began harvesting, which was opposed by the villagers of Tapat under Hamren police station, resulting in a scuffle, police said.

Multiple altercations reportedly broke out between residents of Lapangap village in Meghalaya and Tapat village in Assam in the afternoon, they said.

"In the melee, one person belonging to the Karbi community died," a senior police officer in Meghalaya told PTI.

The deceased has been identified as 48-year-old Oriwell Timung, a resident of Assam’s Tapat village.

Several people were injured in the clash, including a few security personnel, with police using tear gas shells to disperse the crowd and bring the situation under control, the officials said.

The injured were undergoing treatment in hospital.

Meanwhile, the Meghalaya government on Thursday evening imposed a night curfew at Lapangap village in West Jaintia Hills, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said.

Tynsong said additional police forces have been deployed in the area to prevent any further escalation of violence.

The district administrations of Meghalaya and Assam were in close contact and coordinating efforts to maintain peace and order, he said.

The deputy CM claimed that the violence broke out when residents of Lapangap, “who were allowed to harvest paddy from their fields under police supervision, came under attack”.

"To make sure that things do not go out of control, the government has decided to clamp night curfew at Lapangap village... Hopefully, by tonight, we will be able to control the situation," Tynsong told reporters.

Assam and Meghalaya had a longstanding dispute in 12 areas along the 884.9-km-long interstate border.

Lapangap falls under one of the six remaining disputed sectors along the Meghalaya-Assam border pending resolution.

Both the state governments had earlier settled six of the 12 areas of difference, with a memorandum of understanding signed in New Delhi in March 2022.

Tynsong reiterated the Meghalaya government's commitment to resolving the differences in the remaining six areas of dispute with Assam.

"We've made this issue a priority, and our chief minister has already discussed it with his Assam counterpart,” he added. PTI CORR DG JOP RBT