Guwahati, Aug 12: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said his Arunachal Pradesh counterpart Pema Khandu “must” order an inquiry into the indiscriminate firing that injured several people from Assam along the inter-state border and ensure that those responsible are punished.
At least 12 people from Assam were injured on Monday after firing by miscreants from Arunachal Pradesh along the inter-state border in Dhemaji district over a land encroachment dispute.
“We should not fight, we should not indulge in conflict. Ultimately we have to remain together. I request the Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister to order an inquiry, find the culprits, and punish them,” Sarma said at a press conference here.
He said the incident was painful, primarily because both states have settled the boundary disputes in most of the sectors.
“Only in five sectors, some disputes remain. Yesterday in our Cabinet meeting, we reconstituted our regional committee so that we can resolve the issue with Arunachal,” Sarma said.
The Takam Mising Porin Kebang (TMPK), the apex student body of the Mising community, on Wednesday launched an indefinite economic blockade against Arunachal Pradesh in protest against the alleged firing in which 12 people were injured.
Asked about the blockade, Sarma said, “The Mising and Adis are like two brothers. I think they will discuss and they will withdraw. Today, the blockade has been announced by the Mising brothers and sisters against the Adi, who are from the same lineage.”
He said Assam Minister Ranoj Pegu and Khandu spoke in the morning, and it is expected that a solution will soon emerge.
“I don’t think there will be a permanent conflict because we have so many similarities between the people of the two states. I think this is a temporary setback and we will overcome it,” Sarma said.
Assam and Arunachal Pradesh share an 804.1-km border passing through Udalguri, Sonitpur, Biswanath, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh and Charaideo districts of Assam and 12 districts of the neighbouring state.
There are around 1,200 points of dispute along the inter-state border between the two states.
The Assam government on July 29 told the state Assembly that Arunachal Pradesh had allegedly encroached upon 16,144.01 hectares of land. Of this, Arunachal Pradesh is claiming 858.91 sq km, it said.
Referring to the continuing border disputes, Sarma said, “I hope that we will be able to settle our border dispute with Arunachal very soon. The place where the clash took place is a disputed place. There has been no clash in the settled areas and permanent border pillars have been put up.”
Both states have constituted 12 regional committees to resolve the border disputes and are taking steps based on the recommendations of these panels, which have jointly toured the disputed areas and held consultations with stakeholders.
A Namsai Declaration was signed by the chief ministers of the two states on July 15, 2022, setting in motion measures to resolve differences over 123 villages in Assam claimed by Arunachal Pradesh.
A memorandum of understanding in this regard was later signed by the two chief ministers in the presence of the Union Home Minister in New Delhi on April 20, 2023.
Of the 123 villages claimed by Arunachal Pradesh, differences over 71 have been resolved, while the process is under way to address the issues concerning the remaining 52 villages.
Arunachal Pradesh was initially a centrally administered region after Independence and later became a Union Territory before attaining full statehood in 1987.
After Arunachal Pradesh attained statehood, a tripartite committee was appointed and recommended the transfer of certain territories from Assam to Arunachal Pradesh. Assam contested the recommendation, and the matter is pending before the Supreme Court.
