Indefinite Karbi Anglong bandh call by Karbi Anglong Kave Arat from 5 am on March 16
Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, MARCH 15
The border dispute between Nagaland and Assam along Karbi Anglong area took an interesting twist on Saturday following allegations from the Assam police that they have identified an employee of the Assam Rifles camped at Rangapahar military station as one of their prime suspects.
This startling piece of information from the Assam police comes in the light of an incident on early Saturday morning in which at least nine houses at Khukuribasti in Karbi Anglong, Assam were allegedly torched by “attackers” from Nagaland, numbering around one hundred.
Additional SP (Border) Karbi Anglong, S Ali Ahmed told Eastern Mirror that they have identified two primary suspects who had played “leading roles” during the incident on early Saturday morning.
Interestingly, both the suspects – Sunil Dutta and Bindu Debnath – are non-Nagas. The latter, Bindu Debnath, according to the ASP (Border) is employed at the Military Engineering Service, Rangapahar.
Ahmed also informed that three families have been affected by the latest violent incidence to hit the border stretch.
About a month ago, several houses were burnt down in an alleged bid to encroach land in Assam and three days ago 37 encroachers from Nagaland were arrested.
A news agency reporting Saturday’s incident stated that “about 100 miscreants armed with sharp weapons, bows and arrows came to Khukuribasti village about one kilometer away from the Rangapahar border outpost under Dhansiri police station and set on fire nine houses.” The miscreants claimed that the land on which the houses were built belonged to Nagaland and demanded the people staying there to vacate the area, the report quoted the locals saying.
In a separate incident, five encroachers from Nagaland were arrested by Assam police on Saturday at Dishapur, Lahorijan near the Border Outpost. Additional SP (Border) Karbi Anglong, S Ali Ahmed informed that out of the five persons arrested, two were released on the same day. The duo, identified as Heloto Sema and Laboka Sumi, were released as they fell under juvenile age-group, he informed. The identities of the remaining three could not be established. The ASP (Border) said that around 30-40 encroachers had trespassed into Assam territory after crossing Dillai Check Post. One platoon of Quick Response Team from Assam police have been deployed at Nagaon basti to secure the border area, Ahmed added.
Additional DGP (Border) Mukesh Agarwal and IGP (Law and Order) had recently visited the troubled border areas and posted additional police forces there.
