Amid tensions on the Assam-Nagaland border following large-scale eviction drives in Assam’s Golaghat district, three men from Assam who had entered Nagaland for a picnic on August 15 were assaulted by three Nagaland locals who sought to check their permits and identities.
According to a police officer from Golaghat, nine men from Merapani – which is part of the Disturbed Area Belt, land disputed between Assam and Nagaland – had gone for a picnic on Friday to a spot located around 1.5 km within the adjacent Wokha district in Nagaland.
“Since the area is only about 2-3 km from each of their homes, they must not have thought much about it. But when they were packing up to leave around 5.30 pm, three Naga locals who were carrying airguns confronted them. They asked to see the Inner Line Permits and Aadhaar cards of the group. On not finding the papers with them, they (Naga locals) hit two of the group members with the butt of their airguns and fired in the air. A pellet from the airgun hit one of the (Assamese) men, Prakash Basumatary,” said the police officer.
He said the matter was reported to the Nagaland police, after which the three accused were apprehended by Wokha police around 11 pm.
“After the evictions, people in Nagaland have been particular about checking the identification and permits of people entering from Assam,” said the officer.
In the past month, the Assam government conducted a massive eviction drive in the Rengma Reserve Forest in Uriamghat in Golaghat district, a region which borders Nagaland. Over 2500 families, mostly Bengali-origin Muslims, living in the area were affected. Ahead of this eviction drive, the Nagaland government directed “heightened vigilance” along the state border with Assam amid “apprehensions” that the displaced people may try to enter Nagaland. Following this, police, district administrations and civil society organisations swung into action to conduct checks on movement near entry points from Assam.
