ITANAGAR, Nov 22: The North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) expressed concern over the incident that occurred along the Meghalaya — Assam border in West Jaintia Hills District of Meghalaya and West Karbi Anglong District of Assam .
NESO condemn the incident in which 5 (five) precious lives were lost and many injured as a result of police firing .NESO sending its condolences to all the bereaved families who met with this sudden and tragic loss. The clashes that erupted on the border of these two states sent shockwaves throughout the entire region as news from ground zero keep spreading like wildfire. The fragile situation along the Assam-Meghalaya border is a reminder of how vulnerable security of border residents can be when such conflicts arise.
Past incidents along the borders of Assam-Mizoram, Assam-Nagaland and Assam-Arunachal Pradesh also illustrate the pain and sufferings of the border residents. Many lives were lost from the Meghalaya side during 2010 in the border clashes between Meghalaya and Assam and the even with the Meghalaya and Assam Governments engaging in their border talks the situation is still not conducive along the Meghalaya — Assam border.
It is understandable that border disputes vary and differs from area to area, however, NESO once again strongly urges upon all State Governments to be committed to solving this long pending problem once and for all and if necessary, the Central Government should be a party in these dialogues and NESO on its part will continue to encourage peoples to peoples contact and peoples to peoples relationship along the border areas.
NESO would also like to call upon all the indigenous peoples that this issue is not an ethnic issue but of border dispute in which the respective State Governments are duty-bound to solve. If a solution arrives whereby borders will be properly demarcated with a unanimous settlement, then peace will usher between different states, and the people residing along the borders can live without fear and in harmony amongst themselves, stated NESO in its press statement.