Harvest begins in Lapangap despite Assam-Meghalaya border row

Guwahati: Farmers in Lapangap village, along the Assam-Meghalaya border in West Jaintia Hills district, began paddy harvesting on Tuesday.

The harvesting was done under tight security, ending a standoff that had stalled work since October 9.

The solution came through a joint initiative by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, the Chief Executive Member of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC), and traditional leaders, who intervened to defuse tensions between the two communities.

Villagers from Lakaroi, mainly Karbis, assisted the Prar villagers of Lapangap in harvesting their paddy, which had been disrupted due to earlier clashes. Over 60 families own paddy fields in the disputed area between Lapangap and Tapat village, officials said.

Tensions had increased on October 9 “when residents of Tapat in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district allegedly prevented Lapangap farmers from harvesting in a contested field. The unrest had led to the death of one person from Tapat, and a night curfew from 6 pm to 10 am remains in force in Lapangap,” reports India Today NE.

Authorities asserted that “temporary halt in harvesting had adversely affected farmers’ livelihoods and appreciated the cooperation shown by both communities in resolving the conflict. Security personnel remain deployed in and around the agricultural fields to prevent any untoward incidents as major harvesting resumes under careful supervision.”