A day after the border incident, the Northern Sumi Hoho (NSH) has dismissed as “baseless and far from truth” the claims made by Assam that its land had been encroached by Nagas.
In a press release, NSH president Kughavi Chophy and general secretary Vikai Yeptho alleged that it was Assam that entered more than 2 kms well inside Nagaland.
The hoho strongly condemned what they described as “autocratic actions of illegal settlers from Assam bordering Nagaland led by Assam police personnel and Congress MLA Rupjyoti Kumri on May 27, 2021 at Vikuto village”. NSH stated that a few huts and hundreds of arecanut plantation were destroyed and fired rounds with assault rifle toward villagers.
NSH has, therefore, urged the government of Nagaland to take up the matter on priority so no unwanted situation arose in the future.
Border incident handiwork of MLA, says UNTABA: United Naga Tribes Association on Border Areas (UNTABA) Friday claimed that the purported incident of skirmishes in the border between Assam and Nagaland was “far from what had actually happened.”
In a press release, UNTABA chairman Hukavi T Yeputhomi and general secretary Imsumongba Pongen claimed that the incident was “actually the handiwork of the big headed MLA of Mariani A/C, Rupjyoti Kurmi”.
UNTABA accused the Mariani MLA of “bashfully” crossing the boundary by more than 3km and entered the vicinity of Vikuto village well inside Nagaland.
The association also claimed that Kurmi forcefully stopped the villagers from continuing their normal cultivation works and destroyed their arecanut plantation and other crops besides threatening and abusing the villagers.
When the villagers objected to MLA’s “high-handed behaviour,” UNTABA said the armed Assam police personnel started shooting while they were leaving. It said that villagers fired two shots from a muzzle-loading gun well after the entourage left.
UNTABA said that Thursday’s incident was not the first time Kurmi “deliberately provoked a situation like this in the border areas.”
Further, UNTABA alleged that the MLA had a habit of stirring-up people’s emotions so as to “create animosity” between the people living peacefully in the border area of the two states.
It pointed out that the boundary issue between the two states was still lying pending in the Supreme Court of India making the issue sub judice. However, UNTABA said that the likes of Kurmi had “no business to involve themselves in except to further his vested personal interests.”
In order to prevent any untoward incidents in the border areas, UNTABA said there were neutral forces (CRPF) to maintain peace and tranquillity based on the ‘Interim Agreement’ of 1979 between the two states. It, therefore, stated that nobody had the right or power to dictate and instigate and create skirmishes in the border areas.
Meanwhile, UNTABA has demanded immediate investigation into the “high-handed actions” of Kurmi and fix appropriate responsibility so as to prevent such unwarranted incidents.
The association also urged the Government of Nagaland to immediately initiate appropriate steps to review the ‘Interim Agreement’ of 1979 between the two states on the boundary issue.