No end to tussle over disputed land in Dimapur-Karbi area

Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, APRIL 5

Border authorities of Assam were, once again, called into action on Saturday here at Rilan village, located right next to Dillai Gate in Dimapur. The intervention of the Assam Border officials – led by Executive Magistrate and Assistant Commissioner of Diphu, Jyotimary Daimary, on Saturday– was prompted by an alleged infringement of an agreement which was arrived between the Rilan villagers and the Assam Border officials the day before.
Some local newspapers had reported of an earlier incident on Friday in which the Assam police, at the instruction of their Border authorities, destroyed at least three bamboo-built sheds constructed by the villagers of Rilan. The reason behind the Assam police’s action being that the area falls under the Daldali Reserve Forest, of Assam.
The newspaper reports had stated that “both sides” had agreed not to indulge in any new constructions in the area following a meeting between the “Border magistrates of Assam and Nagaland.”
Reportedly, the villagers of Rilan had on Saturday flouted this agreement by covering one of the sheds with tin sheets, which was earlier left untouched by the Assam police during their destruction exercise, at the behest of the villagers. At least that’s what the official version was. Later it was learnt that there was another reason behind the incident on Saturday. Highly reliable sources informed that on Friday night the villagers of Rilan had heard “gunshots and explosions” come out of the security camp on the other side.
The sounds, naturally, wrought panic among the villagers who retaliated in fear by digging “bunkers” on Saturday morning. This in turn forced the security personnel “on the other side” to arrive at Rilan village on Saturday with the Executive Magistrate and Assistant Commissioner of Diphu, along with two platoons of CRPF.
Later it came to transpire that the sound of gunshots and explosions (said to be crackers) were a result of jubilation and celebration of India’s victory over South Africa in the semi-final of the World T20 (Cricket) on the same evening.
After much discussion between the Executive Magistrate and Assistant Commissioner of Diphu and Dimapur police led by SDPO Niuland and OC of West PS, the villagers allowed the Assam authorities to remove the tin sheets and, once again, agreed that there would be “no movements in the area” from both the sides till the issue is resolved.
And towards ‘resolving the issue”, the Executive Magistrate and Assistant Commissioner of Diphu, suggested that Border authorities from both states should conduct a joint operation after Jyotimary Daimary the Lok Sabha elections.
On the allegations from Rilan villagers that the Assam authorities were allowing other communities (of Assam) to settle inside their “reserve forest”, Jyotimary Daimary told newsmen that the Karbi Anglong Autonomous District Council Executive Committee had recommenced their settlement there.
He said that he had already asked the KAADC executive to give him a written statement as to why they had recommended the same. “Then only I’ll come to know why they had allowed them to settle here. I came to know from my source that they have settled here just for cultivation,” he added.
Jyotimary Daimary admitted that he had come to know that the Rilan villagers had “cleaned this jungle just for cultivation. The thing is that day by day these sheds are increasing so we are worried.”
He insisted that there should not be any misunderstanding between the neighbors. “After the elections we will have a sitting between the two districts,” he added. Besides the police officials, none from the Dimapur civil administration was present at the meeting on Saturday.
The long standing border issue between Assam and Nagaland has been declared sub judice by the Supreme Court of India. This translates as the case is under judicial consideration and that it is prohibited from public discussion elsewhere.