“Villagers are facing significant losses due to the inability to tend to their fields since June”
Shillong, Oct 14: A Joint Action Committee (JAC) of several organisations has urged Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma to ensure security of the villagers in strife-torn Lapangap along Meghalaya-Assam border during paddy harvest season.
A JAC delegation during its meeting with the Chief Minister on Tuesday submitted a memorandum emphasising the need for deployment of adequate security personnel to prevent unlawful activities by persons from across the inter-state border.
The JAC comprises several organisations, including Synjuk Waheh Chnong Ri Jaintia, Lapangap headman, Jaintia Students’ Union (JSU), Jaintia National Council (JNC), Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), Federation of Khasi-Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP), and Jaintia Students’ Movement (JSM).
“We have urged the government to provide security to the villagers so that they can harvest their crops without fear. The paddy is already ripe, and the villagers are facing significant losses due to the inability to tend to their fields since June. If the crops are not harvested, the villagers may face starvation,” headman of Lanangap told reporters after the meeting.
“The chief minister assured the villagers that security will be provided, but did not specify when discussions with the Assam government and Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council would take place,” he added.
Situation in the border area has been tense since the death of a Karbi villager from Assam during a clash between Pnar and Karbi villagers as the former went to their fields to harvest paddy.
Besides demanding police presence and continuous patrolling, the JAC also sought steps to ensure that security measures do not hinder movement of local residents or their livelihood activities.
Seeking a clarification on implementation of Section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in the border area, the JAC warned that the government would be held accountable for any loss of crops or livelihood due to inadequate security measures and has demanded compensation, relief measures, and agricultural recovery support for affected families.
