Cricket match held to foster Nagaland-Assam friendship

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Aug. 28 (EMN): With an aim to foster friendship between Nagaland and Assam, weeks after the two states had agreed to diffuse the border tensions by withdrawing their security forces, a friendly cricket match was held between the neutral forces (CRPF) on Saturday.

The ‘friendship cricket match’ was held under the theme “Unity through sports” at Yanpha after the border magistrate (BM)-level meeting on border issue held on the same day.

The sub-divisional officer (Civil) and Border Magistrate (BM) at Ralan under Wokha district, Meyazungba Jamir, told Eastern Mirror that the friendly match was a spontaneous decision made by the field officers (neutral forces).

The senior officers also joined and DIG of CRPF Hanuman Singh Rawat was the unofficial guest for the match, he informed.

‘The basic objective was to foster the friendship between Assam and Nagaland and to project some positivity out of these border issues. Ralan being under the Disturbed Area Belt (DAB), many lingering issues are going on,’ the official said.

Jamir added that the match was conducted “to send a positive vibe and message to the people that we are all Indians and we are all part of the same country”.

The border magistrates, neutral forces, and security personnel of both the states attended the meeting as well as participated in the cricket match.

The two parties had held a two-day football tournament in 2019, but it was their first cricket match.

At the meeting on Saturday, the officials discussed the border issue and reiterated to maintain status quo along the border area, Jamir informed.

Various central scheme projects that have been going on in the DAB were also discussed during the meeting. It was agreed that such project discussions should be done under the knowledge of both the two states as well as the neutral forces for better co-ordination and to avoid unilateral discussion, which had led to misunderstandings in the past.

It may be mentioned that an agreement to de-escalate tension and to maintain peace and tranquillity along the border areas of the two states was reached on July 31 following a chief secretary-level meeting.

Meanwhile, the Select Committee that was constituted by the Nagaland Legislative Assembly to examine the Nagaland-Assam border issue has convened its first meeting on September 14.