Assam–Meghalaya border row: Three held for killing of Assam villager in Lapangap
The accused were arrested after a Nartiang case reported a Karbi villager’s death during the October 9 clash
A file image of Lapangap village clash.
Shillong, Nov 26: Three suspects have been arrested by West Jaintia Hills police for allegedly killing a man from Assam during a clash between villagers at Lapangap, bordering Karbi Anglong district of Assam on October 9.
The accused have been identified as Pyrchang Dkhar alias Loi (25) of Lapangap village, Everyshine Tyngkan (25) of Saba, and Deibormi Bhoi Lamare (27) of Barato.
“These three accused were arrested in connection with a case registered at Nartiang police station, in which one Karbi person lost his life on October 9. The investigation is ongoing, and all three suspects are lodged in the district jail at Jowai,” West Khasi Hills SP Jagpal Singh Dhanoa said.
The clash occurred between villagers of Lapangap in West Jaintia Hills and Tahpat in West Karbi Anglong (Assam) over the harvesting of standing paddy crops.
One person from the Assam side, Orivel Tinumg (45), a resident of Tahpat village under Donka subdivision, died in the incident.
Following the violence, the West Jaintia Hills district administration imposed a total curfew in the affected border areas to prevent any escalation of law-and-order issues.
Later, to restore normalcy along the Assam–Meghalaya border, officials from both states held a peace meeting on October 20 at the Khanduli Border Outpost (BOP).
The meeting, chaired by West Karbi Anglong Deputy Commissioner (DC) S. P. Sarma and West Jaintia Hills Border Magistrate G. H. Passah, was attended by senior police officials, local leaders and peace committee members from both sides.
Recognising the urgency of the harvest season, officials mutually agreed to permit immediate paddy harvesting in both Tahpat and Lapangap.
DC Sarma noted that both village headmen had assured there would be no further disturbances during the harvest and urged residents to exercise restraint.
He also appealed to communities on both sides not to politicise the issue, stressing that peace and cooperation were essential to restoring normalcy.
The dispute over several villages near Lapangap goes back decades, with both Meghalaya and Assam claiming them as their own.
Meghalaya refers to the area as Block I and asserts historical rights over the land, while it is currently administered by the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) in Assam.
The block, along with five other disputed areas, is slated to be taken up in the second phase of border talks between Assam and Meghalaya.