When Meghalayans were returning with timber from a disputed area near the two states’ border, Assam’s forest guards allegedly opened fire, killing five of them. To prevent more violence, authorities were compelled to suspend mobile internet access in the surrounding districts.
This comes after the chief ministers of Assam and Meghalaya, Himanta Biswa Sarma and Conrad Sangma, inked a deal in March to settle the five-decade-old conflict in six of the 12 contested areas along their 884.9 km-long border. Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, described the agreement as historic and predicted that its signature will end the issue in 70% of cases. In August, Sarma and Sangma held negotiations to settle the conflict in the remaining regions.
Eyewitnesses said the guards first fired at the tyres of the vehicles carrying the timber to halt them. The guards then allegedly fired when they realised they were outnumbered as agitated drivers and other occupants of the vehicles alighted and informed residents of a nearby village. Four people died on the spot while a fifth person succumbed to his injuries at a nearby health centre.
Unverified sources said the clash also claimed the life of a forest guard and badly injured a number of others.
The incident was confirmed and Davis NR Marak, the deputy inspector general in charge of Meghalaya’s eastern range, said he was en route to the scene. Information is now quite hazy, but I’m headed there to find out what’s going on.
