Land dispute turns violent again; at least 5 people injured

Dimapur, Nov. 7 (EMN): The land dispute between Lamhainamdi and Kiyevi villages took a violent turn again on Monday, as at least five persons were injured in a clash, prompting the Peren and Dimapur officials to impose Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in the region to prevent further escalation.

A reliable source informed this newspaper that a group of youth entered the disputed area on Monday morning and burned down some houses built in the area despite the presence of the police, leading to a firing by the India Reserve Battalion (IRB) personnel.

Without divulging further into the incident, citing the sensitivity, the source said that more than five persons were injured in the incident and they were admitted to a hospital in Dimapur for treatment.

However, the exact cause of the injuries and the number were not known till the time of filing this report.

It may be mentioned that a few clashes had taken place in the disputed area in the past, including the killing of three persons by unidentified armed assailants in March 2021.

ACNTC, TPO issue joint statement

Meanwhile, taking serious note of the unfortunate incident that took place at Lamhainamdi village and Kiyevi village area, the Central Nagaland Tribes Council (CNTC) and Tenyimi Peoples’ Organisation (TPO), in a joint statement, appealed to both the parties to maintain calm and refrain from violence.

The two organizations issued the statement after holding an emergency meeting at Tourist Lodge in Dimapur on Monday following the incident.

It appealed both the parties to resolve the issue amicably and also requested the state government to intervene to avoid further bloodshed.