Tension along the Meghalaya – Assam border escalated as Assam Police personnel arrested two tribal Khasi youths from Umwali village near Langpih in West Khasi hills district in Meghalaya.

People in Umwali told Northeast Now that Assam Police personnel on Friday evening arrested two innocent youths from Umwali at gun-point while they were travelling to Boko in Assam.

The two youths, identified as Alningstar Snaitang and Bibarius Marwein, were whisked away by the Assam Police personnel, and their whereabouts are still not known.

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The incident triggered the panic button at Umwali and in the nearby Khasi villages bordering Assam.

Earlier on February 19, villagers of Umwali had complained that Assam Police had trespassed into the villages, and wanted to construct a border outpost on private land of a tribal villager.

Residents of Umwali village in Langpih area had registered strong protest against the Assam Police’s alleged attempt to set up the new outpost.

People of the area, along with village Dorbar and Hynñiewtrep Youth Council (HYC) Rimuliang unit came out to protect the village from the wrath of the Assam Police personnel.

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The villagers along with the HYC members had assembled in the area the whole night to prevent the move of Assam police to capture the land at Umwali.

A video on the incident at Umwali had also gone viral on the social media, and people in Meghalaya have started commenting against the act of Assam Police personnel.

It was seen in the video that one Assam Police personnel was threatening a Khasi (lady) villager.

However, Assam Police officials said, the two youths were arrested from Boko.

This was third such incident at Umwali village during the last one year.

On February 14, last year, Assam Police personnel had attacked a group of villagers at Unwali village.

Several tribal villagers, including 28 women, were injured in the attack.