Gorkhas justify Assam's claim over Lumpee, oppose merger with Meghalaya

A CORRESPONDENT

LUMPEE: As the Chief Minister-level talks between Assam and Meghalaya is set to resume to settle the boundary dispute between the two States under the second phase, the people of Lumpee, especially Gorkha people who are opting to stay with Assam, suggested that both the Assam and Meghalaya Governments should follow the 1951 Survey of India report which included the area in Assam's territory.

Lumpee or Lampi is one of the six areas of dispute between Assam and Meghalaya. Lumpee is one of the most underdeveloped villages bordering the Kamrup district in Assam and the West Khasi Hills district in Meghalaya. The two adjoining States have been claiming ownership of the village for more than half a century.

Spread over an area of 349 sq km, Lumpee is under Kyrdum gram panchayat, Mawshynrut block, West Khasi Hills district in Meghalaya's administrative structure, whereas Assam assigns it to No 9 Dakhin Pub Boko gram panchayat, Boko-Bongaon block, Kamrup district.

Lumpee is the subject of a long-running dispute between the Meghalaya and Assam Governments, one of twelve such disputed territories.

While there are two polling stations - Bhanubhakta LP School (Right wing and Left wing) from the Assam side, the Meghalaya side has three polling stations - Madanjaiaw polling station, Langpih polling station and Nongsohram polling station.

What is surprising is that the Gorkha people who have been depending on the Assam side have not been allotted land pattas till now.

"We are still staying in grazing land and paying tojurbahi khajna to the Government. We are no given land right even as the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 has been implemented to settle traditional forest dwellers everywhere in the country," said Bikash Chetry, president, Gorkha Students Union, Lumpee Regional Unit. Bikash Chetry is one of the foremost leaders who have been opposing the merger of the area with Meghalaya.

Chetry also opposed the statement of Assam's Border Affairs Minister Atul Bora, who informed the Assam Legislative Assembly that Lumpee would be included in the territory of Meghalaya as most of the villagers opt to stay with the neighbouring State. Later, Atul Bora made a U-turn and said he talked of Upper Tarabari not of Langpih.

"We will not stay in Meghalaya. We will not be comfortable with them. The survey report of Survey of India 1951 included Langpih as Assam's part. There should not be any question of handing it over to Meghalaya," Chetry said.

Even though the area is under the administrative structure of Assam, there is no noticeable development work initiated by the Government of Assam.

Some 7,000 people belonging to the Gorkha community live in seven villages which fall on the Assam side.

There is only one government school. Small children have to walk for seven kilometers to study in school.

There is only one road connecting to the Riangdo-Boko road, which itself connects to National Highway-37 in Assam at a junction just west of Boko. There is another 5 kilometres (3.1 miles) road from neighbouring Kthiehthawiar to Meghalaya which connects Langpih through Kthiehthawiar to a junction with National Highway-44 just west of Nongstoin.

Apart from that, there is no road in the entire village. The village is served by a health sub-centre on the Meghalaya side. But it is not staffed by doctors.

There are more than 24 Khasi villages covering a population of 8,000. Each Khasi village has at least one school.

"British annexed the village to Assam's Kamrup district, but then after Indian independence, it was assigned to the United Khasi and Jaintia Hills district, a district in today's Meghalaya State," said Johnnes Sohshang, secretary, Hima, Nongmynsaw Syiemship, Langpih.

There is an office of Hima, Nongmynsaw Syiemship in Langpih to maintain the land record of the erstwhile Khasi state which spreads from Khanapara to the Rani Reserve Forest.

"Langpih is under the Khasi state. The British also recognised us. Since 1910 our people have been free. But in 1910, Gorkhas started encroaching on our land and since then our people have been restricted to staying at these 24 villages," Sohshang said.

"Apart from Khasi villages there are 40 villages of Garos from Kamphaduli, Hakumari, and Langpih," Sohshang also said.

The conflict over Langpih can be traced back to 1974 when the Meghalaya Police forcefully evicted people from the Nepali community from their homes and grazing land. The Nepalis, who were mostly engaged in animal husbandry, approached the Assam Police for justice. Assam Police went to the village to investigate the matter, and the dispute has remained escalated since then.

The Meghalaya Government again claimed that Assam had encroached on the village in 1979. In 1988, the matter reached the Parliament, where the Government of Assam alleged that Meghalaya wanted to create a new legislative constituency by taking over areas of Assam, including Lingpih.

The situation worsened after May 14, 2010, when clashes broke out between the Nepali, Khasi and Garo communities. Assam police fired upon the people, wherein four Khasi people were killed and at least 18 others were injured.

In 2012, hundreds from the Khasi community sat on a hunger strike. Officials and police forces were deployed to defuse the situation. But the Khasi people formed a human chain to prevent Government officials from Assam from entering the area.

"There has been a dispute between the two States' people for a long time. It is a good sign that both Governments are trying to resolve it. We suggest that the Government should go for a referendum on the dispute. What the majority of the people say should be implemented," said Heading Sanglein, a senior citizen of Langpih.

"If there is a majority in Assam side, the area should be included into Assam's territory and if there is the majority in Meghalaya side, it would be included into Meghalaya's territory," Sanglein said.

"But we Khasi people want to stay in Meghalaya. We will not be comfortable with Assam," he said.

"The referendum will be the best way to put an end to the dispute," he said.

"Many organisations, including Khasi Student Union (KSU) and Federation of Khasi-Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP) have already placed their demands for a referendum on the issue. We support it," said Hep Domenic Jahlang, a leader of Khasi Student Union (KSU), Langpih.

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