Outrage by Mising tribal bodies in Assam over two separate incidents of youths from the community from being killed in Arunachal Pradesh while working there resulted in a demonstration blockading seven roads connecting both states for several hours Tuesday.
The blockade was called off in the afternoon after the Arunachal government promised swift action.
The Mising tribe has a sizeable population in both Assam and Arunachal Pradesh – it is the second largest tribe in Assam and lives in parts of Arunachal Pradesh bordering Assam.
On June 18, 22-year-old Probash Doley, a resident of Assam’s Dhemaji district, was allegedly assaulted and killed in Chimpu village in Itanagar. On July 13, another youth from the community, 29-year-old Shankar Pegu, was shot dead in Roing town in Lower Dibang Valley district.
In protest against both these killings, three major Mising organisations – Takam Mising Porin Kebang, Takam Mising Mime Kebang, and Mising Mimag Kebang – had called for an “indefinite blockade” of all roads linking Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
While protestors had blocked seven key roads connecting both states Tuesday morning, they lifted the blockade by the afternoon after authorities after governments of both states assured action in both the cases.
In a statement, the Takam Mising Porin Kebang said they had received official communication and response from both the Assam government and the Arunachal Pradesh government promising action and that they decided to “temporarily suspend” their protest because of “the establishment of dialogue between the two state governments”.’
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In a call for calm on Tuesday, Arunachal Pradesh IGP Chukhu Apa had said: “We are very serious about both these cases and very concerned by them. These are both isolated incidents of crime and I assure you that it is not targeted against any specific community”.
Providing an update on police action in both the cases, Apa said Dolet had been attacked over an argument “over a trivial matter” and that the accused Tai John had been arrested.
“The investigation is completed from our side but we are waiting for the FSL reports. I have given directions to file the chargesheets and the FSL report can be filed as a supplementary chargesheet,” he said. In the second case, he said that Pegu had been shot by a subcontractor, Tadar Bhai, he had been working under.
“He said it was accidental fire but we are not leaving it at that, we will investigate. The man has been arrested and the weapon seized,” he said.
