Shillong: Even as Assam and Meghalaya are celebrating the MoU signed to resolve the six areas of difference (called the first phase), an untoward incident has been reported from Jatalong village, Ri-Bhoi district, Meghalaya, one of the disputed areas in the second phase. Two Khasi men, Sildron Mukhim and Barnabas Lyngdoh, were attacked in Jatalong village on Friday evening. Mukhim and Lyngdoh are residents of Khyndewso village. In the video, Mukhim could be seen with a bruised eye, while Lyngdoh was bleeding from his nose.
Speaking with EastMojo, Mukhim said that around 6:30 pm on Friday, Lyngdoh was outside a shop when he was allegedly attacked by members of the Nepali community, the majority community residing in the border region of Jatalong.
“As I heard my friend being attacked, I went out to help him, but I was also beaten up. We were just the two of us, and these men, who are Nepali, were more than 10 in number. I think this was a premeditated attack. A few days ago, another Khasi youth was attacked,” Mukhim told EastMojo.
Following the attack, several others from Khyndewso, Mawlasnai, Tyrso, and Umlaper came out in large numbers, which led to an altercation in the bordering area, which the people residing in the area usually call Jatalong-Nepali.
Mukhim said that the police arrived at around 8 pm, and tried to control the situation. A senior official , informed EastMojo that it was a case of misunderstanding and there was a law and order situation yesterday evening. “Things are under control at the moment. The DC and Magistrate have been here since yesterday. There will be a 24 hr check, and we are not allowing anyone to cross areas to avoid any untoward incident,” said the official.
He added that talks are being carried out between Khasi and Nepali headmen to ensure peace prevails along the interstate border.
