DIMAPUR, FEB 18 (MExN): The NSCN (K) has dismissed the 1925 demarcation by the Assam government as “nonsense talk” saying that it was purely a demarcation of reserved forest and not boundary line between the Naga Hills on one side and Sibsagar and Nowgong, the erstwhile districts of Assam on the other.
The NSCN (K) explained that the North-East frontier railway line which was constructed at the beginning of 1900’s did not have a single Assamese village then but went through thick jungles. Then the labourers, who were mostly Nagas, had first cut the jungles for laying the rail and the said railway was accepted as boundary line by both the Assamese and Nagas. The release further added that Assam had boundary disputes with Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh etc and hence questioned them as to who was selfish and aggressive.
The NSCN (K), in a release issued by C. Lotha, caretaker Lotha Region highlighted the history of the land dispute by saying that the then British had transferred many of the reserved forests belonging to the Naga Hills, for their economic interest and administrative convenience to which records like date, place, order Menu no. and issuing authorities were still available.
Therefore the NSCN (K) stated that the government of Assam and GOI simply needed to be asked to immediately return to Nagaland all the Naga Reserved forest which had been transferred.
The release also pointed to historical records that showed that rulers of Assam took shelter in Naga Hills during adversities and likewise the present Assam political insurgents were also doing the same. It therefore advised the ULFA men not to be swayed by false claims of the Assamese leaders and authorities who had ruled Assam with “discrimination and injustice” and were now voting against the idea of the Sovereignty of Assam. The NSCN (K) also asked the ULFA to look up the “Assam Puranjee”, written by Ahom ancestors, which would reveal many truths about the Ahoms and the Nagas.
The release decried that though Wokha district had the longest boundary with Assam due to lack of a strong Lotha politician to speak for their land, Wokha district had been and would always be the soft target for these boundary disputes.
