Assam-Meghalaya border row: Pressure group urges Shah to intervene, restore peace
HITO urged Union Home Minister to ensure justice & lasting peace for border communities in Meghalaya and Assam
A file image of Union Home Minister Amit Shah (Photo: IANS)
Shillong, Oct 21: Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s immediate intervention has been sought by an NGO here to restore peace and order among all affected communities along the Meghalaya-Assam border.
In a memorandum submitted to the Union Home Minister, the Hynniewtrep Integrated Territorial Organisation (HITO) said, “Immediate intervention is essential not only to restore peace and order but also to provide justice and long- term solutions for all affected communities along the Assam-Meghalaya border.”
The organisation said that the protracted territorial disputes between the two states are on persisted since the establishment of Meghalaya in 1971.
“Over the decades, these disputes have escalated into numerous violent clashes, leading to tragic loss of human lives and significant economic distress for residents on both sides of the border,” HITO president Donbok Dkhar said.
Highlighting the dialogues aimed at resolving these long-standing issues between the two sides, Dkhar said that these discussions have not yielded any substantial outcome so far.
Claiming Assam government’s “repeated incursions into the territory of Meghalaya,” the HITO president said, “The aggressive stance taken by Assam has proven that it operates with scant regard for treaties, agreements, and the historical promises that were made.”
He also reminded of the 2009 Langpih violence and 2022 Mukroh violence. Many innocent lives were lost in both the occasions.
According to HITO, one person was also killed in Assam in renewed violence in Lapangap along the border areas recently.
Dkhar further alleged that the armed Karbi militant outfits are intimidating and harassing local residents. “This is not only unlawful but an affront to the constitutional principles that govern this nation. Such actions must not go uninvestigated, and those responsible must be held accountable for their misconduct,” the HITO president said in the memorandum sent to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.