New riots have started on the border between Assam and Meghalaya. Crowds grew from both sides near the state line. A Meghalaya officer with the rank of deputy police commissioner was injured while managing the crowd on Thursday.
Tensions between Assam and Meghalaya flared again on Tuesday in the Umlapher area of West Karbi Anglong district of Assam. An Assam police officer allegedly behaved inappropriately towards two men from Meghalaya, leading to a gathering of around 300 people in its Ri-Bhoi district. Their path was blocked, which led to an argument.
The border dispute between Assam and Meghalaya is an old problem that is attributed to different readings of the delimitation of the borders from the agreement that was signed when Meghalaya was established as a separate state from Assam in 1972.
WHY IS THE ASSAM-MEGHALAYA BORDER DISPUTE?
Assam and Meghalaya share a 885 km long border. From now on there is 12 points of contention along their borders.
The border dispute between Assam and Meghalaya covers the areas of Upper Tarabari, Gazang Reserve Forest, Hahim, Langpih, Borduar, Boklapara, Nongwah, Matamur, Khanapara-Pilangkata, Deshdemoreah Block I and Block II, Khanduli and Retacherra.
Meghalaya was carved out of Assam under the Assam Reorganization Act of 1971, a law that challenged it and led to disputes.
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A major point of contention between Assam and Meghalaya is the Langpih district in West Garo Hills, which borders the Kamrup district of Assam. Langpih was part of the Kamrup district during British colonial times but became part of the Garo Hills and Meghalaya after independence.
Assam regards it as part of the Mikir Hills in Assam. Meghalaya challenged Blocks I and II of Mikir Hills – now the Karbi Anglong Region – as part of Assam. Meghalaya says these were parts of the former United Khasi and Jaintia Hills wards.
THE FRACAS FRONTIER IS NOT NEW?
The dispute began shortly after Meghalaya was founded. During the twelve-year tenure of former Assam Prime Minister Tarun Gogoi, the border dispute was one of the hotspots.
In fact, an Assam government guest house, which was used as the official residence of Tarun Gogoi, was caught in a row. Located on a small hill in the Khanapara-Pilangakata block, it has often been claimed as its territory by Meghalaya.
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The State Guest House was apparently built in 1976 to house a VIP (very important person) visiting Guwahati to attend the All India Congress Committee meeting. Meghalaya always claimed that records prove their claim to the land.
IS THERE PROGRESS IN BORDERLINESS?
Both Assam and Meghalaya have established border dispute settlement committees. Recently, the Prime Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, and his counterpart from Meghalaya, Conrad Sangma, decided to set up two regional committees to gradually resolve the border disputes.
Sarma recently said five issues should be considered in resolving the border dispute. They are historical facts, ethnicity, administrative convenience, mood and feelings of the people concerned and the neighborhood of the country.
Six locations are considered in the first phase. These are Tarabari, Gijang, Hahim, Baklapara, Khanapara-Pilingkata and Ratacherra.
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These disputed areas are part of Cachar, Kamrup Metro and Kamrup Rural on Assam’s side and West Khasi Hills, Ri Bhoi District and East Jaintia Hills on Meghalaya’s side.
ASSEMBLY AND BORDER QUESTIONS
The states of the northeast were largely carved out of Assam, which has border disputes with several states. The border disputes between Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland are pending in the Supreme Court.
The border disputes between Assam and Meghalaya and Mizoram are currently in the negotiation phase. The border dispute with Mizoram recently turned violent, which prompted the center to intervene.
The Prime Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya held separate talks in July and August to settle the border dispute. By the way, the capital of Assam was Shillong, today’s capital of Meghalaya, before it was moved to Dispur in 1972.
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