Clash along Assam-Arunachal border; AASU stages road blockade

North Lakhimpur, Aug. 16 (PTI): A group of miscreants allegedly attacked a Village Defence Party in Assam’s Lakhimpur district injuring six persons in the area bordering Arunachal Pradesh, police said on Tuesday.

The incident has sparked tension with local units of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) staging a blockade on the road leading to Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday morning.

A senior police officer said the incident took place in Rupahi Rajgarh area at around 1 am on Monday after the VDP questioned four youths from the neighbouring state on finding them moving in a vehicle in the locality.

“The VDP let the youths go after some questioning. However, they returned after some time with around 40 miscreants, who attacked the VDP personnel,” he added.

At least six VDP members were injured in the incident, the official said.

At present, there are over 22,000 registered VDPs in Assam.

Protesting against the attack and demanding immediate arrest of the culprits, the local units of the AASU blocked the road leading to the neighbouring state on Tuesday.

When senior government officials from Arunachal Pradesh reached the spot and gave an assurance of stern action against the culprits, the AASU withdrew the road blockade.

Assam and Arunachal Pradesh share an 804.1-km border in Udalguri, Sonitpur, Biswanath, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, and Charaideo districts.

Assam has boundary dispute with Arunachal Pradesh at 1,200 places, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told the state assembly last year.

After Independence, Arunachal Pradesh was a centrally-administered region. Later it became a Union Territory before attaining full statehood in 1987.