At least eight Assam villagers were allegedly injured, three critically, in firing by unidentified persons along the inter-state border with Arunachal Pradesh on Monday, police said.
The two states share over 800km of border, parts of which are disputed and the source of localised clashes, triggered by allegations and counter-allegations over land encroachment.
Police said they are investigating Monday’s incident and have deployed a large force to prevent the situation from escalating.
The incident happened at Mingmang Badati area under the Gogamukh Revenue Circle of Dhemaji district along the Assam-Arunachal border on Monday morning.
“A group of armed men in uniform came towards us and started saying that they will take their land anyhow. Before we could say anything, they started firing,” said an injured person, adding that 18 locals were working in that area and eight or nine escaped unharmed.
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The injured were identified as Durgeshwar Patir, Rohit Doley, Nagaraj Doley, Bigneshwar Patir, Pame Pegu, Sanjay Tayung, Utpal Doley, and Jan Doley, all residents of Mingmang Badati area.
All eight injured persons were initially taken to the Gogamukh Rural Hospital.
{{/usCountry}}All eight injured persons were initially taken to the Gogamukh Rural Hospital.
{{/usCountry}}Seven, with three in critical condition, were shifted to the Dhemaji civil hospital. They were later referred to the Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh for specialised care.
Mingmang Badati locals alleged regular attempts by border residents from Arunachal Pradesh to encroach on land in Assam. Violence on Monday was triggered after several days of simmering tension in the area.
“From their side, not only common people but senior police officers also came to encroach our land and the officers in uniform fired on us,” said an injured person.
Assam police, however, said these claims have not been verified and are investigating the matter. “We are investigating, we’ll also have a talk with officials of Arunachal Pradesh police,” an investigating officer told the media on Monday afternoon.
What Assam CM said
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that he is aware of the incident and the director general of police (DGP) and other senior officials to intervene and investigate. “I have instructed the DGP, Chief Secretary and other officials to look into it and they’ll also talk to their counterparts in Arunachal Pradesh. But I think it is a local land dispute issue and not a matter of two states, we are in a peaceful situation,” he said.
Assam and Arunachal Pradesh share an 804.10-kilometre inter-state boundary and several localised disputes over land and alleged encroachments have come up in the past. The two states signed the Namsai Declaration on July 15, 2022, in Arunachal Pradesh to resolve the issues. Under the pact, both states agreed in principle to restrict the number of contested border villages from 123 down to 86, paving the way for structured regional committee talks to demarcate the boundary.
The declaration could not prevent clashes less than a year later.
Two persons were killed and two others injured when a group of unidentified men opened fire in the Panbari area of Assam’s Dhemaji district in June, 2023. Police had then said that the incident took place in an area close to one of the unresolved portions of the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh boundary.