Why in news?

A 44-year-old man from Tapat village in Assam’s West Karbi Anglong, was killed during a clash between residents of Assam’s Tapat and Meghalaya’s Lapangap village in West Jaintia Hills, along a disputed stretch of the Assam-Meghalaya border.

Police said the violence erupted when villagers from Lapangap were harvesting paddy in the contested area, a practice followed “for generations.”

The site of the incident is among six unresolved areas along the 884-km Assam-Meghalaya border, where tensions persist despite a 2022 MoU settling disputes in six other zones. The same region witnessed the Mukroh firing incident in 2022, which killed six people.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Assam–Meghalaya Border Dispute: Historical Roots and Key Issues
• Efforts to Resolve the Assam–Meghalaya Border Dispute
• 2022 Border Pact

Assam–Meghalaya Border Dispute: Historical Roots and Key Issues

• The Assam–Meghalaya border dispute dates back to the colonial era, when undivided Assam included present-day Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Mizoram.
• When Meghalaya was carved out of Assam as an autonomous state in 1970 and later became a full-fledged state in 1972, boundary differences arose.
• The separation was formalised under the Assam Reorganisation (Meghalaya) Act of 1969, which Meghalaya refused to accept.
• Reasons Behind Meghalaya’s Refusal to Accept the 1969 Act
  • The 1969 Act was based on the recommendations of a 1951 committee that sought to define the boundary between the two states.
  • According to these recommendations, parts of East Jaintia Hills, Ri-Bhoi, and West Khasi Hills (in present-day Meghalaya) were transferred to Assam’s Karbi Anglong and Kamrup districts.
  • After achieving statehood, Meghalaya contested these transfers, arguing that the areas historically belonged to indigenous tribal chieftains under its traditional governance system.
• Assam’s Position
  • The Assam government has maintained that Meghalaya lacks documentary and archival evidence to substantiate its territorial claims.
  • Assam insists that the boundary defined in 1969 is legally valid and that Meghalaya’s claims are not supported by historical or administrative records.
• Extent of the Dispute
  • Following years of claims and counterclaims, the boundary conflict was narrowed down to 12 disputed sectors in 2011, covering parts of West Khasi Hills, Ri-Bhoi, and Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya and adjoining districts of Assam.
    These areas remain points of contention, occasionally triggering tensions and clashes between communities living along the border.

Efforts to Resolve the Assam–Meghalaya Border Dispute

• Joint Official Committee (1983) - A joint official committee was established in 1983 to address the boundary dispute. It recommended that the Survey of India should re-delineate the border in consultation with both state governments.
• Independent Panel (1985) - An independent commission, headed by Justice Y.V. Chandrachud, was formed in 1985 to examine the issue. However, Meghalaya rejected the panel’s report, citing disagreement with its findings.
• Survey of India’s Role and Partial Demarcation (1991) - In 1991, around 100 km of the inter-state border was demarcated with the help of the Survey of India. Despite this technical effort, Meghalaya refused to accept the demarcation, keeping the dispute unresolved.
• Central Intervention (2011)
  • In 2011, the Meghalaya Assembly passed a resolution seeking the Centre’s intervention and demanded the creation of a boundary commission.
  • The Union Government directed both states to appoint nodal officers to facilitate discussions and collect relevant records for negotiation.
• Renewed Political Will (2021–2022)
  • In June 2021, Assam and Meghalaya adopted a give-and-take approach to advance talks and formed three regional committees each, headed by cabinet ministers, to examine ground realities and gather local inputs.
  • Based on the committees’ recommendations, a draft resolution was prepared in January 2022.
  • Subsequently, in March 2022, both states signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to resolve disputes in six of the 12 contested sectors, covering around 36.7 sq km.

2022 Border Pact

• In March 2022, Assam and Meghalaya partially resolved their 50-year-old border dispute, settling differences in six of the 12 disputed sectors along their 884-km boundary.
• The pact marked a major milestone in inter-state cooperation in the Northeast.
• Key Features of the Agreement
  • The agreement covers 36.79 sq. km of disputed land.
  • Assam will retain 18.51 sq. km, while Meghalaya will receive 18.28 sq. km.
  • Following the pact, around 70% of the boundary between the two states is now dispute-free.
  • Negotiations will continue over the remaining six areas, including Langpih, Borduar, and Block I & II regions, which are more sensitive and complex.