Dimapur, June 9 (MExN): The Chief Minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio, has been requested to establish a Nagaland Armed Police (NAP) company post at Saringyim Nokpu ‘B’ (Mangkolemba sub-division) at the Assam-Nagaland border area in order to “maintain peaceful atmosphere in the neighbourhood, by avoiding the untoward incident and to maintain the tradition of good relation.” This was iterated in a letter to the CM from the Nokpu and Saringyim village councils respectively.
Highlighting their grievance regarding alleged encroachment of village land by “adivasis and illegal immigrants from Assam side,” the chairmen of Nokpu Village Council (L. Nukshi Imchen) and Saringyim Village Council (Imtiyongdang Longkumer) have explained history. “Nokpu village land bordering Saring Nokpu ‘B’ and Assam in the plains is an ancestral land to Nokpu village by Ahom King, during the reign of King Godapani Godadur Singh in the year 1683 AD, who married Sentishila, a Nokpu belle; daughter of Assiring Walling of Nokpu village. In honour of his father-in-law, the King gifted Assiringia Duar (Rongpang), which covers the whole plain area from Nokpu village to Dodhar Ali,” they wrote.
Due to the inability of the people of this area in Nagaland to develop the vast area, “the whole land upto the present Naganijan Tea garden bordering our village has been developed by people from the Assam side and for which, Nokpu villagers have regretfully accepted the reality,” the letter acknowledged.
“However, we are against the encroachment of our land stretching beyond the present 64 acres of land leased out to the Tea garden, for which yearly tax of Rs 2496/- is paid to the Nokpu Village by the Assam Tea Garden Corporation,” the two village councils stated clearly to the CM.
Describing the start to the current debacle, the village councils explained that it started when adivasis and “illegal immigrants” allegedly equipped with automatic weapons and bows and instigated by their leader MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi, attacked villagers who were clearing jungles for plantation of new saplings during the sowing period. To this, five points have been brought to the CM’s attention.
“In the past, our paddy and other crops within the village vicinity were destroyed by the joint forces of Assam Police and CRPF several times; there are many incidents of physical assault of innocent villagers by the joint forces that took place even within the village area in the past; we were restricted by the joint patrolling force of Assam Police and CRPF for Jhum cultivation even within our own village land; we are also restricted to collect firewood from our own land; and we are also restrained from constructing of culverts within our village jurisdiction, near the village gate in the last week of February 2012, even the material such as bricks, sand, chip stones few bags of cement were also taken away by the joint patrolling teams.”
In support of their ancestral lands the two village councils have stated that they have sufficient documents such as receipt of revenue from the Assam tea corporation Ltd, map of the portion from where the revenue been collected by them, survey receipt of the portion of tea garden area, khat map etc.
Drawing attention to the security situation, the letter points out that except the police station at Mangkolemba and Longchem of which the nearest police stations is 14 KM away from their village, there is no armed police post in Japukong at present. There is no post of police security bordering Assam and Nagaland. Due to lack of police security, state the councils, villagers in Nagaland bordering Assam are constantly harassed by security force of Assam, therefore the deployment of Armed police personal in the area may ensure maintenance of law or order situation. Moreover, they said, the Range area stretching to Tuli on Assam border is economically undeveloped and the establishment of NAP company shall directly or indirectly help the Government as well as the public in the speedy development of such area.
