Morung Express News
Dimapur | March 26
An unresolved boundary trouble with Assam reared again at Rilan, a village located on the western fringe of Dimapur district bordering Assam’s Karbi-Anglong Autonomous District.
The dispute over a plot of land has been recurring for the past few years with both sides staking claim. The Assam Forest department claims it is part of Daldali Reserve Forest while the villagers claim it is well within the village jurisdiction as demarcated by the Nagaland state government.
On March 26, Rilan villagers said that tension gripped the border village after Assam Police (AP) and Assam Forest personnel intruded into the village at around 10:00 am and demolished under-construction structures at a plot of land disputed by Assam. The disputed site is located overlooking a camp of the AP and a village recently established allegedly under the patronage of the Assam Forest department.
The armed personnel numbering around 50 demolished foundation pillars meant for a Primary Health Centre and fences sparking an over an hour long standoff between agitated villagers and the armed Assam Police personnel. The Rilan village council said that the AP personnel withdrew after more than an hour from the area and also fired shots in the air while retreating.
It maintained that the AP and Assam Forest personnel simply cannot intrude without proper authorisation. “If it is an inter-state border issue magistrates from both sides should be present,” the village council said.