Guwahati: At least 11 villagers in Assam were injured after unidentified gunmen opened fire from the Arunachal Pradesh side at Mingmang Badati on Monday
(August 10). The incident took place along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border under the Gogamukh Revenue Circle. According to preliminary reports, a dispute reportedly broke out between two groups over alleged encroachment by people from Arunachal Pradesh in Assam. The situation allegedly escalated, following which the Arunachal miscreants opened indiscriminate fire at the Assam residents. Out of the total, the eight people who were injured, have been identified as Durgeshwar Patir, Rohit Doley, Nagaraj Doley, Bigneshwar Patir, Pame Pegu, Sanjay Tayung, Utpal Doley and Jan Doley. All eight injured people were initially admitted to the Gogamukh Rural Hospital. Meanwhile, three people have been referred to AMCH in Dibrugarh in critical condition. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took cognizance of the incident. Assam cops have reached the spot. Sarma said senior officials and police chiefs of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh are in active discussions following the August 10 Dhemaji border firing incident. He asserted that Assam would not compromise on its land and confirmed that additional police forces have been deployed in the area. The incident hs raised concerns among people living on both sides of the inter-state border. Authorities are likely to probe the firing and clashes and take measures to prevent further tensions. Assam Shares a length of 804.10 km inter-state boundary with Arunachal Pradesh.On July 15, 2022 the Historic Namsai Declaration was signed between the states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh at Namsai, Arunachal Pradesh wherein the 123 claimed by Arunachal Pradesh were minimized to 86 villages.
History Of Repeated Land Related Tensions And Violent Incidents In The Dhemaji Arunachal Border Belt
1 June 5 2023 Panbari Dhemaji.Two Assam residents Boga Chutia and Monitu Gogoi were killed and two others were injured in firing in the Panbari Torajan area along the Dhemaji Lower Siang border. According to the Dhemaji SP at the time the area was a disputed patch of reserve forest claimed by both states A group from nearby Assam villages had gone there for a tree planting programme when a confrontation broke out and gunfire followed. Police described the land dispute as unresolved and said flare ups were common in the area.
2 July 2022 Panbari Dhemaji.
Another confrontation was reported in Panbari over alleged encroachment Assam officials alleged that residents from Arunachal had erected a fence and attempted to establish an agricultural farm on protected forest land claimed by Assam. Residents on the Assam side reportedly removed the fence following which an alleged retaliatory attack took place in which an Assamese family was assaulted and their motorcycle was taken Police later intervened and brought the situation under control.
3 January 2022 Likabali Durpai Road Dispute.
Tension was reported over the Likabali Durpai PMGSY road project with Assam officials claiming that portions of the road fell within disputed territory Dhemaji Police had previously stopped construction in the disputed area. Around the same period an argument was reported between Assam Police and villagers from Arunachal There were also reports of firing in the air although the firing was not independently confirmed at the time.
Wider historical context.
The Assam Arunachal boundary dispute dates back several decades The two states share an 804 kilometre boundary and disputes have periodically involved allegations of encroachment forest land claims and competing interpretations of the boundary. Clashes have been documented since the early 1990s Later flashpoints included Bhalukpong in 2005 and Behali Reserve Forest in 2014 where 10 people were killed.
The latest firing comes against the backdrop of recurring land disputes and violent flare ups along the Assam Arunachal border particularly in the Dhemaji Lower Siang belt In June 2023 two Assam residents were killed and two others injured in firing in the disputed Panbari Torajan area while a year earlier a land encroachment dispute in Panbari had also triggered tensions. One important caveat is that early reports on the August 10 incident have differed on the number of injured So the casualty figure should ideally be attributed to the latest police or official confirmation rather than treated as final.
