Tensions Intensify on Assam-Nagaland Border, Centre Wants CM's to Talk

NEW DELHI: The Golaghat district witnessed another round of air firing and tear gas shells used by the police in order to disperse the protesters who were trying to block NH 39 at Numalimargh, on Thursday morning.

The protest was in defiance with the indefinite curfew clamped on Wednesday.
Even as the army staged a flag march to maintain law and order, a group of people tried blocking the road with tree branches and threw stones at police vehicles damaging one of them and injuring a policeman as well, the police said.

Slogans were also shouted against the alleged firing by the police last night at Numaligarh which resulted in injuring one innocent civilian, an action which had no official confirmation.

Curfew was clamped and army called on Wednesday after an incident wherein the police firing to thwart the mob, resulted in killing three persons and injuring at least six at the Golaghat town. The angry crowd had tried to set ablaze the deputy commissioner’s office and destroy other public properties in protest against Tuesday’s police action at Rangajan where 22 people and seven police personnel were injured.

The police had resorted to not merely lathi-charge and tear gas shells, but rather opened fire at the protesters on Tuesday leading to at least 21 people being injured and hospitalised.

This whole chaos and disruption is the fallout of the incident that took place on August 12 which lead to killing of nine people at Uriamghat in the district.

The trouble began on August 12 when the angry locals of Chetia Gaon in Golaghat district of Assam who were agitating in front of 155 CRPF battalion office protesting against the the abduction of two boys by suspected miscreants from Nagaland, were caned by the CRPF personnel.

What followed was worse.

While these villagers were fleeing from the spot, they were fired upon by alleged miscreants from Nagaland who also allegedly torched scores of huts belonging to Adivasis in Assam.

Numerous houses were set ablaze as frightened residents of the border villages of Chetiagaon, Rumanbasti, Tenpur, Lachitgaon and Jadhajibasti of the district, which falls under Sector B of the Assam-Nagaland border, fled.

It was this violent and ferocious incident along the Assam-Nagaland border that has led to a spurt increase in instances of police-people clash.

Further, while the Chief Minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi is blaming the Central government and Home Minister for unabling to tackle situations along this border, the Centre had dismissed his allegations as “baseless”.

The Assam CM had said, “We are not dragging feet from our responsibility but law and order of the disputed area was completely under the control of the central government”, further clarifying that his government was readyn to extend all necessary constructive support to resolve the decades old conflict situation along Assam-Nagaland border, which is dragging since 1971.

On the other hand, Home Minister Rajnath Singh today has asked the Chief Ministers of both Assam and Nagaland to “sit across the table” and restore normalcy as the situation on the inter-state boundary is veering out of control.