SHILLONG : Meghalaya Police have deployed an SF-10 platoon along with two additional platoons of the Meghalaya Battalion to Lapangap village in West Jaintia Hills following rising tension along the Assam-Meghalaya border.
The deployment comes a day after residents of Lapangap marched to the Secretariat in Shillong alleging harassment of farmers and destruction of crops by groups from the Karbi side.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Director General of Police Idashisha Nongrang said the decision to deploy additional security personnel was taken following discussions led by the Deputy Chief Minister and supported by the police department.
“The people of Lapangap had come yesterday. There was a significant turnout. In fact, my officers on the ground were saying the majority of Lapangap village turned out en masse yesterday,” Nongrang said.
According to the DGP, villagers informed police that although cultivation activities were not directly stopped, crops planted during the day were allegedly uprooted during the night.
“They go for cultivation and in the evenings whatever they planted is uprooted during the night. That is the problem they are really facing,” she stated.
Nongrang admitted that villagers had expressed dissatisfaction over the level of security support in the area.
She confirmed that SF-10 personnel, whose presence was specifically demanded by residents, were dispatched to Lapangap early Thursday morning.
“When the problem first flared up, we had sent our SF-10 personnel there and the villagers wanted their presence again. They left early this morning and should have reached by now,” she said.
The DGP further informed that two platoons of the Meghalaya Battalion had already been deployed to the area on Tuesday as a precautionary measure.
“At the moment, one platoon is there and we will continue assessing the situation. Depending on developments on the ground, we will decide whether additional deployment is necessary,” Nongrang added.
On demands for a permanent police outpost at Lapangap, Nongrang referred to the recently inaugurated Barato outpost located around 16 to 19 kilometres away from the village.
She also pointed out that the ongoing status quo agreement between Meghalaya and Assam in disputed areas affects permanent infrastructure development along the border.
“As you are aware, Assam insisted that we maintain status quo. Depending on the situation, we will also see from our side whether a camp needs to be set up,” she said.
Tension has remained high in the Lapangap area following repeated complaints from villagers regarding alleged interference in farming activities near