Meghalaya villagers demand fence on 0 line to avoid isolation
People in Lyngkhong village, right on the India-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya, are protesting a new fence that could leave them outside the security barrier.
They are asking officials to build the fence right on the zero line (the actual border), worried that the current plan would cut them off from the rest of India.
"If the fence is built as proposed, we will be cut off from the mainland," Ramu shared.
Villagers have asked for work to stop until their concerns are heard.
India Bangladesh talks delay Meghalaya fence
Lyngkhong has been largely separated from Bangladesh by a bamboo fence put up during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Border Security Force has set up an outpost there, but less than 80km of Meghalaya's border with Bangladesh is still unfenced due to tough terrain and local issues.
India wants a single-line fence on the zero line, but it is still talking things over with Bangladesh, so for now, villagers are stuck in limbo about their future.