Morung Express News
December 29
DIMAPUR: Despite Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s repeated assertions that “Not an inch of Assam land would be given to Nagaland”, there are allegations over the unabated encroachment and atrocities triggered by Nagas reportedly at the behest of NSCN (IM), where over 1.4 lakh acres of Assam land all along the six sectors of four districts have come under the dominance of Nagas currently. According to news report carried in The Sentinel, a leading Assam based news daily, besides allegations of Naga atrocities like assault on transport operators and grazers, it was also pointed out that on December 7, armed Naga ultras had intimidated the villagers of Grazing village (Mogroi), 32 km from Jorhat to quit the village.
As per the news report, Assam Forest Department sources also disclosed that ‘Government of People’s Republic of Nagalim’ is contemplating to set up an LAC on Assam soil —engulfing 18 encroached Naga villages of Dessoi Valley, Dessoi and Tiru Hills reserve forests of Jorhat district. It also alleged that two subdivisions of Nagaland already exist on Assam soil —Newland in B Sector (Golaghat) and Tizit in F Sector (Sivasagar).
Assertion of a tacit deal and prior understanding between the Centre and the NSCN (I-M) that the latter’s demand would be conceded at the cost of the three neighbouring States of Nagaland are also doing the rounds. Not to be left out, the Nagaland Government has also been charged of making concerted moves to set up an administrative subdivision of 60,875 acres of land in Doyang.
The NSCN-IM on its part maintains that at present, Naga areas have been subdivided by the Government of India into four different administrative units in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland. Likewise, Myanmar too has claimed parts of Naga areas and has divided it under two administrative units of Kachin State and Sagaing division. A map of Nagalim, released by the NSCN-IM, claims the Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills District of Assam. Besides, the map is also shown to include parts of the districts of Golaghat, Sibasagar, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, and Jorhat. It also includes Dibang Valley, Lohit, Tirap and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh and significant parts of the four of the seven districts of Manipur – Tamenlong, Senapati, Ukhrul and Chandel.
Meanwhile, denying the statement that it was contemplating on setting up a Line of Actual Control on Assam soil, the NSCN (IM) today said that there was no question of such a move being undertaken. “Recognition of traditional territory of the Nagas is an integral part of solution,” an NSCN (IM) home ministry source said. “The people and the land can never be parted,” the official said. The outfit’s stand that there is no greater or smaller Nagalim was reiterated.
Interestingly, there have been reports that the Government of India had offered during the peace talks an autonomous status under Article 244A. As per the said article Parliament may, by law, form within the state of Assam an autonomous state comprising all or any of the tribal area specified.
