Nongpoh, September 21, 2026: Residents of Maikhuli village in Ri-Bhoi district have criticised the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) Government over the ongoing border dispute with Assam and demanded a public clarification from Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma regarding his statement in the Assembly in 2022.
The issue was raised during a public meeting organised by the Maikhuli Dorbar Shnong on September 21, following an alleged incident on September 19 in which Assam Police personnel and Kamrup district administration officials reportedly entered the village and demolished a portion of a boundary wall near the football ground and behind a school.
Former Maikhuli headman and senior citizen Henipson J. Marak alleged that Assam officials showed villagers a video of a statement made by Sangma in the Meghalaya Assembly in 2022 during their visit.
Marak claimed the statement indicated that an area adjoining the Maikhuli playground would remain with Assam, while the playground and village graveyard would remain with Meghalaya. He said the alleged use of the statement had caused confusion and concern among residents.
He demanded that the Chief Minister clarify exactly what was stated in the Assembly and explain how the statement relates to the territorial status of Maikhuli.
Public records from 2022 show that Sangma had described the proposed settlement in the Maikuli area as one in which Mawmari Beel would remain with Assam while the graveyard would remain with Meghalaya. He also said that the precise boundaries would subsequently be determined through demarcation by the Survey of India in the presence of representatives from both states. (The New Indian Express)
The Assam-Meghalaya agreement signed on March 29, 2022, covered six of the 12 areas of difference, including the Khanapara-Pilangkata sector. The Union Home Ministry said the agreement was intended to settle the identified areas and that further boundary demarcation would be undertaken. (Press Information Bureau)
Marak, however, alleged that the settlement had effectively resulted in ancestral land being handed over to Assam without the consent of Maikhuli residents.
“We cannot accept the handing over of our ancestral land to Assam without the knowledge and consent of the people. We strongly condemn the MDA Government and demand a clear explanation from the Chief Minister,” he said.
The residents said they did not want confrontation or unrest but expected the Meghalaya Government to protect their land and rights. They warned that the Dorbar Shnong and villagers would continue to pursue the matter if the dispute was not addressed.
The meeting also demanded a detailed and transparent survey of the disputed area involving village authorities, landowners and officials from both states.
The residents maintained that decisions concerning the interstate boundary should take into account the views of people directly affected by the settlement.
The meeting resolved to submit a memorandum to the Meghalaya Government seeking clarification on the 2022 agreement and the present territorial status of Maikhuli.
A Meghalaya Assembly response in February 2026 stated that demarcation and erection of boundary pillars pursuant to the 2022 MoU were still in progress, with 54 pillars reported in Hahim and 83 in Gizang at that time; the government said no fixed timeline had been set for completion. (cms.neva.gov.in)
