Tension heightens along Assam-Nagaland border

June 30, 2021 54 Views No Comment

ASSAM POLICE-LED CONTINGENT SPARKS TENSION BY SETTING UP POST AT TZURANGKONG AREA

Correspondents MOKOKCHUNG/KOHIMA, JUN 30 (NPN) : Tension heightened along Assam-Nagaland border when around one hundred personnel led by Assam Police attempted to establish a camp near Vikuto village under Tzürangkong range, Mokokchung district bordering Mariani on Tuesday morning.

Highly placed sources informed Nagaland Post that the contingent comprising of around 100 personnel– 50 well armed Assam Police personnel, 30 home guards and forest personnel– led by a police officer in the rank of Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) went near Vikuto village area at around 4 a.m. and began to set up camp/outpost.

A section commander of the 12 IRBn ‘C’ Coy from Nagaland asked the Assam Police officer on why they were trying to set up camps inside Nagaland. The Assam Police officer purportedly responded that the contingent was to verify if any kind of “developmental activities” were being carried out by the villagers of Vikuto and to prevent any such activities as Assam claimed it was a disputed area.

This newspaper also learnt that despite repeated requests from Nagaland side, the Assam Police refused to leave the site. Instead, the Assam Police insisted that the DCs of Mokokchung and his Jorhat counterpart should meet and decide on the matter.

As the Assam Police-led contingent refused to budge, Mangkolemba SDPO, Tzurangkong border magistrate, dobashis (DBs), one section of 12 IRBn ‘C’ company and around 70 volunteers from Tzurangkong village rushed to the area and set up camp to prevent any further escalation of the situation. There was no report of any serious altercation between the two sides at the time of filing this report.

Further, officials of district administrations of Jorhat and Mokokchung exchanged communication over the issue and both DCs are likely to hold a joint meeting with police and civil officers from both sides soon.

Meanwhile, general secretary of Tzürangkong Range Naga Youth Front (TRNYF) Shiluyungdang informed this newspaper that on hearing about the incident, some one hundred youth volunteers rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation. Shiluyungdang said Assam side also included medical teams who have been stationed at two different locations. The contingent from Assam led by the Assam Police continues to be stationed in the area, he said.

According to NE Now report, Jorhat DFO Nanda Kumar claimed that about four days ago miscreants had constructed a 300 m road inside Dissoi Valley Reserve Forest.

“We apprised the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police regarding this and a decision was taken to set up a forest protection camp,” the DFO said. “The camp has been set up in order to enable Forest staff to maintain close watch by carrying out patrolling in the area to prevent any kind of untoward incident,” he added. The Forest department will also conduct regular patrolling of the forest area bordering Mariani, Kumar added.

Source: http://www.nagalandpost.com/tension-heightens-along-assam-nagaland-border/235671.html