JNC calls for policing along Assam Meghalaya border

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaAugust 24, 2023

Jaintia National Council (JNC) claims that only Assam police are making their presence felt along the inter-state border of Meghalaya and Assam.

Speaking to media persons at a press conference on Wednesday, the president of JNC, Sambormi Lyngdoh, said, “Since the meeting of both governments in Khanduli, we have come to learn that they have removed the entry check-gate, but only Assam police are there to maintain law and order. Meghalaya police are not present.”

It may be mentioned that the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) recently installed a tax check-gate at Khanduli, which faced stiff opposition from the dorbar shnong of Khanduli.

In response to the provocative claim by the Karbi Students’ Association that a situation similar to Manipur’s might ensue if Karbi areas become part of Meghalaya, Lyngdoh stated, “We want the state government to take action on this, especially to establish a strong force for the protection of our Pnar people.”

During the ongoing second phase of border talks between the governments of Meghalaya and Assam, the JNC suggested that the two governments consider the historical background of the Pnar community.

Lyngdoh emphasized that the Pnar community has its own history and stressed that the governments should respect this historical background and cultural practices.

He further added that Pnar villages currently situated in Assam should be returned to Meghalaya based on cultural practices.

Lyngdoh expressed his concern, saying, “We fear that our land will go to Assam and that is why we make our stand clear that the government should settle the border dispute by looking at the historical background of the Pnar and the Karbi communities and decide which place will go to Assam and which place will go to Meghalaya. We want all the Pnar villages to be in Jaintia Hills, even the ones that are in Assam.”