Meghalaya-Assam border: Forest fence pull aparted in disputed area
Shillong: Meghalaya DGP PLR Bishnoi on Thursday visited Assam’s West Karbi Anglang district and held talks with senior officials of the neighboring state to prevent atrocities like violence in a disputed region between the two northeastern regions. A part of the forest fence was torn down in the area. States, an official said.
He said the meeting was held a day after the fence of the Assam Forest Department was found broken in the Umsaw Lumdorbar area of the disputed Block II along the inter-state border.
Apart from Meghalaya Director General of Police, West Karbi Anglang district administrator Krishna Barwa and senior police officers of Assam including IGPP Bhuyan, and Ri-Bhui and Karbi Anglang district SPs Giriprasad M and Indranil Barwa respectively. Attended the meeting.
The meeting was held a few weeks after violence erupted in Makroh along the Assam-Meghalaya border last month.
Six people, including a forest guard, were shot dead during clashes after a truck loaded with illegally cut timber was intercepted by Assam forest guards.
Mukroh village, which is 30 km east of Meghalaya’s West Jaintia Hills district headquarters, is located 10 km from the inter-state border.
A senior Meghalaya police officer said Thursday’s meeting was held at the Umjakini Forest Range beat office under Baithalangso police station in West Karbi Anglong.
“Assam Police has sought our cooperation to control the law and order situation along the disputed villages. Any attempt to create disturbance may affect the peaceful coexistence of people living near the inter-state border.
He also claimed that the police in Assam had registered a case after a section of forest fence collapsed.
Meghalaya and Assam have a long-standing dispute over 12 areas along the 884.9-km inter-state border, and the location where the heinous violence took place was one of them.
The two northeastern states had signed a memorandum of understanding to end the dispute in March this year in New Delhi in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Meghalaya was separated from Assam in 1972 and has since challenged the Assam Reorganization Act of 1971, which demarcated the border between the two states.
