Meghalaya chief minister briefs Chidambaram on ethnic violence

Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma on Thursday briefed Union home minister P Chidambaram on the situation in ethnic-violence hit Assam-Meghalaya border areas and urged defence minister AK Antony to deploy army in the disturbed areas.

"Today I spoke to Chidambaram, briefed him about the situation and underlined the need for strengthening security forces. I have also written to defence minister AK Antony requesting him to comply with our request for deploying army," Sangma told reporters in Shillong.

Eight hundred additional personnel of paramilitary police have been deployed in the violence-hit areas.

He said the situation, which was tense but under control, was being monitored continuously.

Five people were killed and over 5,000 displaced since the ethnic violence began on January 1 along the border areas of the two neighbouring states.