Home ministry official to visit Langpih

SHILLONG - The central government Thursday deputed an official of the home ministry to assess the situation at the disputed Langpih village on the Meghalaya-Assam border, where four people were killed in police firing May 14.

Deputy Secretary (North East-IV) Ajay Kanoujia will visit Langpih Friday with government officials from Meghalaya and Assam.

“I will visit Langpih to find out what really happened on May 14. I will talk to the local people and assess the situation,” Kanoujia told IANS.

Kanoujia will be accompanied by Deputy Commissioners of Meghalaya’s West Khasi Hills district M.R. Synrem and Assam’s Kamrup (Rural) S.K. Roy.

Four people were killed and several others were injured in the firing by Assam Police personnel at Langpih village May 14, after a clash between tribal Khasis and Garos with Nepali nationals at a weekly market.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma is in New Delhi to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P.Chidambaram to press for a time-bound independent inquiry, by an agency like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), into the incident.

Sangma is also seeking deployment of a neutral force at the disputed village.

Langpih has been a bone of contention between the Assam and Meghalaya.

Assam lays claim to Langpih based on the recommendations of the Y.V. Chandrachud Committee report, while Meghalaya has rejected the report.

A committee headed by the chief secretaries of both states has been formed to amicably resolve the issue.