Assam Police burns down farmhouse in Nagaland’s Wokha

Our Correspondent
Wokha, 7 Feb. 9 (EMN): A team of Assam police led by the OC of Balijan burned down a farmhouse in Yimpang area on Sunday noon, January 6, after they were reportedly misinformed by some people from Assam that one person had been abducted.

The district administration under Bhandari told Eastern Mirror over the telephone that people from Assam went to collect broom corns in the forest of Yimpang under Wokha district in Nagaland but the villagers told them not to carry out such activities from their forest.

However, they reportedly told the Assam police after returning from the forest that the people of Yimpang had abducted one of their friends. On receiving the false information, a police team led by the OC of Balijan in Assam came to the area and burned down a farmhouse belonging to one E Myingthungo Patton, it was informed.

Following the incident, the Bhandari district administration and police personnel along with the SDPO of Titaphar from Assam found out during the spot verification that the Assam police had wrongly burned down the farmhouse, it added.

Bhandari district administration informed that it would apprise its Assam counterpart at the border magistrate level meeting to compensate and reconstruct the house.

Sources informed that a border magistrate level meeting is expected to be held soon, perhaps on February 8 to discuss the matter.

The EAC along with the OC and SDPO from Bhandari also visited Assam–Nagaland check gate on Sunday to ensure that no such crime is committed again and informed the area office in-charge to uphold neutrality and step vigil in the border area to maintain peace and tranquillity.

The owner of the farmhouse (E Myingthungo Patton) told this newspaper over the telephone that he was shocked to learn about the Assam police burning down his house built in the area belonging to his ancestors. He said that they cultivated paddy in the past but recently started growing cash crops and vegetables.

He said that his farmhouse was not even near the border and expressed confidence that the district administration would deliver justice.

Meanwhile, he has filed a first information report (FIR) at the Bhandari Police Station in Wokha, against those who burned down his house.

The FIR stated a group of police numbering 14 had intruded into Yimpang village, burned down and destroyed his private residential home as well other structures and plantations. It added that the property worth INR 5 lakh destroyed in the incident should be compensated.