Assam Police detain 40 at disputed border land

The Assam Police on March 10 detained 40 persons from the disputed border land sandwiched between Karbi-Anglong, Assam and Dimapur, Nagaland. With no proper, or rather official, landmark demarcating the inter-state border on the western fringes of Dimapur, people continue to lay claim of the disputed land.

While the Nagaland government has chosen to keep silent on the issue, officials on the Assam side maintain the border land in question falls within the jurisdiction of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council. People from Nagaland, who are laying claim to the disputed land, maintain that it is within Nagaland with the Lengri River (also known as Baloo Noti to locals here) taken as the natural boundary west of Dimapur.

According to locals here, the Lengri River is the verbally accepted boundary between Dimapur and Karbi-Anglong starting from New Field Check-post till the Dillai check-post. Beyond Dillai check-post, the upper reaches of the Lengri River as a border line is debated.   

The forty (40) people, who were arrested Monday, were reported to be in the process of clearing forest. The Additional Superintendent of Police, Karbi-Anglong, when contacted, said that the people were arrested near Rangapahar Border outpost falling within Dhansiri Reserve Forest. They were arrested without much resistance, the ASP said, while adding that one tried to escape but was prevented. Crude forest-clearing implements were confiscated from them. One of the arrested was from Lumding, and the rest were from Nagaland, the ASP said. The one from Lumding originally hails from Nagaland but resides in Lumding, it was added.  All were taken to Diphu Police Station.

Further, people continue to flock to the disputed forested land despite the deployment of armed police personnel and promulgation of prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC on the Nagaland side of the border. On March 8, a clash between Indisen villagers and a group of around a hundred people was averted. The group of people were reported to be headed to the disputed site to clear forest for farming.