Border towns caught in crossfire as states fight over boundaries

Jorabat (Assam-Meghalaya border): The border town of Jorabat is split down the middle – one half in Assam’s Kamrup district and the other in Meghalaya’s Ri-Bhoi district. An old commercial town and transit node, it is the last area on the highway divided between the two states. Resisting the prevalent narrative of conflict over shared boundaries in the northeast, the town wants political focus to be back on ground-level problems this election.
“Sometimes, power supply on the Meghalaya side goes off for as long as a week. We definitely have it better,” says Kishan Sarma, a 45-year-old shop owner on the Assam side of the town. “But petrol is cheaper across the road,” he adds. Not concerned about the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill or the National Register of Citizens update, issues that have kept his state and the region on the boil, he says, “Parties should start listening to what the people’s problems are instead of coming up with new complex issues every day.”

Far from harbouring any divisive sentiments, Jorabat, where the border has always been fluid, has managed to stave off any dispute. “Maybe because the border is very clearly demarcated. For elections, too, voters on the Assam side go to the Sonapur polling booth and those on the Meghalaya side go to Umpher,” says Hebol Marak, a 38-year-old driver from Umpher. “We don’t want problems like Langpih. We want to work in peace,” he adds. “This is a nodal point for business and transport. No one wants to lose money over useless disputes,” Pradip Borah, stationed at the Jorabat police outpost under Assam Police, concurs.

Assam has a history of violent disputes with the four neighbouring states that were carved out of it – Nagaland in 1963, Meghalaya in 1972, and Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram in 1987 – over the shared border. Fissures over inter-state borders run as deep as, if not deeper than, the conflict over international borders. Less than a month ago, the Meghalaya government had to impose prohibitory orders at Langpih after a clash between locals and Assam Police over an electrification project turned violent and four villagers were injured.

Langpih has been a flashpoint in the inter-state border dispute between Assam and Meghalaya. In 2010, four Khasi villagers were killed and several others injured in firing by Assam Police. Sporadic clashes continue to this day. Besides, last year, the Meghalaya administration was accused of setting up three polling stations “9 km inside Assam” at Lumpi (Kamrup district) or Langpih (West Khasi Hills district), depending on which side of the debate one is on.

In addition to being divisive, these disputes have also stalled development projects. “Most controversies over borders happen when a government project begins. Each side thinks the area is being claimed by the other. Then violence breaks out and the project stops. Only the people lose out,” says Lurshai Lyngdoh, 44, who runs a liquor store on the Meghalaya side of the town.

BJP’s rise in the northeast since 2014 had given rise to the expectation that inter-state border issues would be resolved soon, since all states were ruled by the saffron party or its allies. Nothing changed. “I don’t think either BJP or Congress even wants the border to be too clearly marked. They will lose votes. They will also have to start talking about the things they promised but never followed up on – roads, schools, health centres,” Lurshai adds.

How is the Election Commission preparing for disputed areas in the northeast for the Lok Sabha election? “From an election perspective, we consider disputed areas as those for which cases are going on in the Supreme Court – which has asked us to maintain status quo in such areas. We do not set up any new polling stations. For other areas along the inter-state border, we conduct district-level meetings to resolve any problems that may arise,” explains Assam chief electoral officer Mukesh Sahu. “The Election Commission asked us to follow the Supreme Court order of maintaining status quo regarding disputed areas, with 1991 as the reference,” Meghalaya chief electoral officer FR Kharkongor adds.