Assam and Meghalaya Farmers Resume Cultivation in Disputed Sector Following Bilateral Peace Accord

Farmers from Assam and Meghalaya officially resumed their agricultural activities in a highly contested border area on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, effectively ending weeks of intermittent conflict. The breakthrough followed a peace formula brokered during a Tuesday afternoon meeting in the disputed Tapat-Lapangap sector. Representatives and high-level delegations from both state governments—led by Tuliram Ronghang, chief of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council for Assam, and Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar for Meghalaya—met directly on the field to ease hostilities between local residents living along the unclear interstate boundary. The timely intervention has brought immense relief to local villagers, particularly since tensions during the spring season had completely halted cultivation for families heavily dependent on farming for survival.  

Under the temporary bilateral arrangement, a seasonal exchange system has been implemented to keep the peace: the Karbi community farmers of Assam are permitted to cultivate and tend to crops in fields claimed by Meghalaya for one agricultural season, while Meghalaya’s Khasi-Pnar community farmers will conversely cultivate fields claimed by Assam. The Tapat-Lapangap sector, where Tapat belongs to Assam’s West Karbi Anglong district and Lapangap sits in Meghalaya’s West Jaintia Hills district, is one of six remaining sectors out of twelve along the 855-km border awaiting a permanent solution. A 54-year-old territorial dispute has lingered since Meghalaya was carved out of Assam in 1972, though six sectors were previously resolved via a March 2022 agreement signed by Chief Ministers Himanta Biswa Sarma and Conrad K. Sangma. Local community leaders expressed hope that the cooperative spirit of the latest meeting will foster better relations and pave the way for a lasting constitutional resolution, preventing a repeat of past uglier stand-offs like the fatal October 2025 clash over paddy harvesting.