Jowai, May 19: Although the season of ploughing and planting of rice has begun, farmers of Lapangap village in West Jaiñtia Hills have not yet a chance to go and work in their rice fields due to threat and disruption from Karbis from neighbouring Assam.
Speaking to media persons, Waheh Chnong (headman) of Lapangap, Deimonmi Lyngdoh said that the residents of his village have not been able to plough and plant in their rice fields as Karbis from Tahpat village in West Karbi Anglong are attacking the farmers with catapults and other weapons.
“This aggressive action by the Karbis has caused a lot of problems to our villagers whose sole means of livelihood is farming. It looks like this year, we may have to abandon farming if the confrontation continues,” Lyngdoh said.
Yesterday, a delegation of two organisations – KSU and FKJGP – met the villagers of Lapangap and expressed their concern over the volatile situation in the area.
While expressing solidarity with the residents of Lapangap, the leaders of the two organisations also urged the Meghalaya government to immediately take up the matter with the Assam government in order to end the stalemate and ensure that farmers from Lapangap can work in their rice fields without any more threat and fear.
It may be mentioned that the Meghalaya government has deployed at least three platoons of armed SF-10 personnel to Lapangap to provide security to the villagers especially farmers.
However, the deployment of the police forces has not helped at all as the Karbis are unrelenting and are attacking the farmers working in the fields by catapults.
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