Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Hopingstone Lyngdoh has reiterated that the state will set up a police outpost in the disputed village of Langpih along the Assam-Meghalaya border and send two platoons of police there. He was responding to Assam Chief Secretary P C Sharma’s remarks that Assam will not allow Meghalaya to set up a police outpost in the village.

Assam and Meghalaya have both laid their claims on Langpih. Things took a turn for the worse when an Assam minister laid the foundation stones for a health centre and a police outpost in the village. On Thursday, chief secretaries of both states met to resolve the dispute and decided to maintained status quo. However, Sharma also said that Assam will not allow Meghalaya to set up a police outpost in Langpih.

“Come what may, Meghalaya is going to set up a police outpost in Langpih as it falls under the Nongstoin constituency in West Khasi Hill district of Meghalaya,” Lyngdow countered on Friday. Lyngdoh said Assam had encroached on the village in 1979 and was now pushing in new settlers, which was not acceptable to Meghalaya.

However, Meghalaya Chief Minister Donkupar Roy refused to comment on Sharma’s statement or the outcome of Thursday’s meeting.