Assam Rifles says Naga Students’ Federation delegation was stopped at Avangkhu for lacking border-crossing authorisation.
DIMAPUR — The Assam Rifles has said that the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) delegation was stopped at Avangkhu on September 19 because it did not have the required authorisation to cross the Indo-Myanmar border, and not because of the delegation’s identity or the stated purpose of its visit.
In a statement issued through the Press Information Bureau (Defence Wing) late on Sunday night, the Assam Rifles said eight persons arrived at the designated crossing point in three vehicles at around 11:30 am and expressed their intention to cross towards Tsera in Myanmar.
According to the statement, the delegation was asked to produce documents required for authorised cross-border movement but was unable to provide a valid Border Pass or permission issued by the competent authority.
The statement was issued in response to reports published on September 19 alleging that the NSF delegation had been stopped from travelling to Myanmar at Avangkhu in Meluri district.
The Assam Rifles said the matter was one of “regulatory compliance” and not a denial of cultural or people-to-people contact. It also alleged that statements and messages circulated on social media were portraying the incident as an attack on Naga identity and turning a border-regulation issue into a wider “community-versus-security-force” narrative.
Read: DNSU, YAN condemn stopping of NSF delegation at Avakhung
It said that cross-border movement was subject to prescribed conditions and that the prevailing regulated movement framework allowed movement through designated points based on eligibility and documentation.
Citing provisions in the relevant official communication, it said the Free Movement Regime (FMR)/Regulated Movement Regime (RMR) facility applied to eligible villages located within 10 km of the Indo-Myanmar border on either side.
“The delegation of NSF had travelled from Kohima the state capital and therefore was not legally authorised to claim automatic entitlement to cross-border movement, merely based on its proposed cultural-exchange programme or reference letters,” the statement read.
A reference letter or recommendation from a civil organisation is not a valid document that constitutes permission to cross an international boundary, it maintained.
It also cited government records stating that 16,428 Border Passes had been issued to date, saying this demonstrated that regulated cross-border movement continued to be facilitated when prescribed conditions were met.
It further urged media houses to verify information and seek clarification from the authorities when reporting on sensitive subjects like border crossings.