Overview

• The Meghalaya government declared three days of state mourning from September 13 to 15 with flags at half-mast and no official entertainment.
• A state funeral will be held at 1 p.m. on Monday at Student’s Field, Jaiaw, with prayers at his Lower Lachaumiere residence at 10 a.m. and burial at Jaiaw Presbyterian Church Cemetery.
• Lapang served as chief minister on multiple occasions—most reports say four terms—with brief stints reflecting coalition instability, including a resignation nine days after his 2008 swearing-in.
• He rose from humble beginnings to become a key architect of Ri-Bhoi district, first winning the Nongpoh seat in 1972 and later emerging as a dominant figure in state politics.
• After decades in the Congress, he joined the National People’s Party in 2018 and served as Chief Adviser to the Meghalaya government; reports differ on his age at death, citing 91 or 93.