Shillong, Nov 24: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) and the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) on Thursday demanded the Meghalaya and Assam governments to immediately resolve the long pending boundary dispute between the two states.

Under the initiative of NESO, a joint meeting was held between KSU and AASU on the sideline of NESO Conference in Tripura. KSU chief Lambokstarwell Marngar and AASU president Dipanka Kr. Nath were both present.

Both the organisations expressed that they are deeply perturbed and condemned the incident of November 22 along the Meghalaya – Assam border in West Jaiñtia Hills District of Meghalaya and West Karbi Anglong District of Assam in which 6 precious lives were lost and many injured as a result of police firing.

“We would also like to call upon all the indigenous peoples that this issue is not an ethnic issue but of border dispute in which the respective state governments are duty bound to solve. The state governments are duty bound to solve this problem,” a joint statement by the two organizations said.

“Even though, the Government of Assam and Meghalaya have been engaging in border talks, but both the Unions (KSU & AASU) demand that the governments should take the confidence of the people living on both sides of the border areas before arriving at any final decisions,” it said.

The statement also demanded that proper security should be given to the border areas to provide the people with a sense of security.

“Both the state governments should also look into this very important aspect in providing security as there is an apprehension and a sense of insecurity amongst some of the residents residing in Guwahati and different parts of Assam and Shillong and different parts of Meghalaya,” it said.