In a significant move aimed at defusing mounting tensions along the Meghalaya-Assam border, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Friday held a high-level meeting with Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma at the Lok Sewa Bhawan in Guwahati.
The meeting focused primarily on resolving grievances and disruptions faced by residents living along the inter-state boundary, with special emphasis on the highly sensitive situation unfolding in Lapangap village. Both sides discussed immediate and long-term strategies to maintain peace, law and order, and stability in the affected border regions.
The latest round of talks comes amid renewed tensions in the agrarian border village of Lapangap, located in Meghalaya’s West Jaintia Hills district along the boundary with Assam’s Karbi Anglong region. Over the past several weeks, local Khasi farmers have reportedly faced harassment, stone-pelting, and repeated obstructions allegedly carried out by members of the Karbi community.
According to local residents, these disruptions — backed by administrative assertions from the Assam side — have created a serious deadlock, preventing villagers from cultivating and harvesting their ancestral paddy fields during the crucial sowing season.
The escalating tensions had earlier sparked large-scale public protests in Shillong, where demonstrators demanded stronger security measures and protection of Meghalaya’s territorial rights.
The Lapangap issue has emerged as one of the most sensitive flashpoints in the larger and long-standing Meghalaya-Assam border dispute. Although both states signed a historic agreement in 2022 to partially resolve six of the twelve disputed areas along the inter-state boundary, several sensitive sectors continue to remain unresolved, periodically triggering tensions between local communities.
Speaking to reporters after Friday’s meeting, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma described the discussions as “highly positive and constructive.” He said the Meghalaya government had already been engaging with multiple stakeholders over the past few weeks in an effort to restore normalcy in Lapangap.
The Chief Minister was accompanied during the meeting by Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar. Senior bureaucrats and district-level officials from both state governments also participated in the discussions.
Sangma said both sides carried out a detailed assessment of the situation and worked on identifying immediate, actionable measures to address the crisis on the ground.
He informed that designated officials from both states would move swiftly in the coming days to implement the agreed steps and prevent any further escalation of tensions.
Making a strong appeal for calm and cooperation, Sangma urged government officials, local residents, and all stakeholders to work together in a spirit of mutual trust and understanding. He emphasized that lasting peace in the border areas could only be achieved through sustained collaboration and dialogue.
Addressing the broader issue of the Meghalaya-Assam boundary dispute, the Chief Minister stated that the joint ministerial committees from both states would resume formal discussions once the Assam government completes its upcoming cabinet formation and ministers officially assume office.
He clarified that Friday’s emergency-level meeting was specifically convened to address the immediate crisis in Lapangap and ensure peace on the ground.
Expressing optimism over the outcome of the talks, Sangma said both governments remain committed to finding a peaceful and mutually acceptable resolution through continued bilateral cooperation.
