E-Paper
Blockade on Assam-Arunachal road lifted after intervention by chief ministers
ITANAGAR: Road blockade by Mising community groups halted after talks between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh CM, following two youth murders.
ITANAGAR: The indefinite road blockade along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border, called by several Mising community organisations, was put on hold following a telephonic conversation between Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Arunachal Pradesh counterpart Pema Khandu.
The agitation, led by the Takam Mising Porin Kebang (TMPK), Mising Mimag Kebang (MMK), and Takam Mising Mime Kebang (TMMK), saw blockade of seven key roads linking Assam and Arunachal Pradesh on Monday morning. The protest was in response to the alleged murders of two Assam youths Prabash Doley (22) and Shankar Pegu (29) in Arunachal Pradesh within a span of one month.
The decision to halt the agitation came after assurances from both state governments regarding swift action and coordination in the investigation of the two murder cases. A joint meeting with all stakeholder organisations is likely to be held within the next three days, officials said.
The TMPK, in a press release, thanked the chief ministers and the Assam chief secretary for their intervention. The group said it was temporarily suspending the agitation as a mark of respect and to allow the official process to move forward.
Arunachal Pradesh inspector general of police Chukhu Apa addressed a press briefing in Itanagar, saying that both cases were being treated with urgency. He said the police had already taken swift action and urged the public to remain calm and allow the law to take its course.
In the first case, Prabash Doley, a labourer from Misamora village in Assam’s Dhemaji district, was allegedly killed following a dispute in Chimpu, Itanagar, on June 18. The accused, Tai John, has been arrested and charged under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police said they recovered blood-stained weapons and clothing from the accused’s residence and are awaiting forensic reports before filing the chargesheet.
The second incident took place on July 13 in the Roing-Tezu area of Lower Dibang Valley, where 29-year-old Shankar Pegu, a labourer from Borajuli in Assam’s Biswanath district, was allegedly shot by his employer, Tadar Bhai. Although the accused transported the injured man over 400 km to TRIHMS in Naharlagun, Pegu died the next morning. Police have registered a case under Section 103(1) of BNS and Section 27(1) of the Arms Act. Tadar Bhai is currently in custody.
“These are individual criminal acts, not attacks on any specific community,” IGP Apa clarified, adding that district police units have been instructed to ensure the safety of all workers, especially those from Assam.
He also said compensation would be provided to the victims’ families under the victim compensation scheme and efforts are being made to fast-track both cases.
The TMPK, meanwhile, has said it will continue to monitor developments and remain committed to securing justice for the victims.
