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Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar said additional security personnel would be deployed in Lapangap village along the Meghalaya-Assam border after villagers complained of repeated harassment and destruction of crops during the cultivation season.

The assurance came after hundreds of residents from Lapangap village in West Jaintia Hills marched to the state secretariat seeking protection for farmers on May 13. Protesters alleged that people from Assam’s Karbi Anglong district had been disturbing cultivation activities and damaging crops in the area.

The delegation, led by the Dorbar Shnong of Lapangap and backed by several pressure groups, met Dhar and other officials to press for immediate intervention.

“We had a very fruitful meeting. I have assured them that the government will do everything possible to protect our people and ensure that peace prevails as before,” Dhar told reporters after the meeting.

He clarified that the discussions were centred on the livelihood concerns of villagers and not on the larger interstate boundary dispute between Meghalaya and Assam.

“The discussion was not about the border issue. We discussed the livelihood concerns of the people of Lapangap. The border issue has to be dealt with at the state level,” he said.

According to Dhar, tensions resurfaced after farmers began cultivation activities in recent days. He said villagers approached the government after alleging that “some Karbi groups were troubling them”.

“There is already some deployment there, but more security forces are required. Therefore, we will send additional police personnel to ensure the safety and security of people living along the border,” he added.

The Deputy Chief Minister also said officials from both Meghalaya and Assam had already begun discussions over the situation. Deputy commissioners from both sides are expected to hold further talks in the coming days.

He said Meghalaya was also awaiting Assam’s appointment of a new chairman for the regional committee to continue discussions related to border matters.

Assistant Rangbah Shnong of Lapangap village, Samkhih Situng, said villagers had demanded full protection so farming could continue without fear.

“We face harassment all the time. We cultivate on our own land, but people from the Karbi side come at night and destroy our crops,” Situng alleged.

He said the villagers were “95 per cent satisfied” with the government’s assurance and hoped adequate security, including deployment of SF-10 personnel, would be ensured in the area.