Dimapur: State deputy chief minister Y Patton, in his statement, said the incidents occurred on August 25 and 26 in the Mekirang/Neghrebil area of Sector D of the DAB along the Nagaland-Assam border.
On August 25, a vehicle carrying rubber saplings supplied by the Rubber Board of India for distribution at Longayim village was stopped at a barricade erected by the Assam Forest Department and prevented from proceeding through the evicted site.
When the Longayim Village Council and villagers requested passage, clarifying that the saplings were intended for plantation at Longayim and not the evicted site, a crowd of Meri/Mising people from the Assam side gathered, resulting in a scuffle.
Border Magistrates from both States reached the spot and, after verifying the purpose of the saplings, allowed the vehicle to pass, bringing the confrontation to an end.
On August 26, a group of Meri/Mising people residing near the evicted site gathered and protested at the barricade. During this time, the Longayim and Lio-Longchum chairman, who was travelling through the area, was allegedly attacked by protesters who blamed him for the previous night’s confrontation. The Joint Secretary of the Lotha Lower Range Public Organisation (LLRPO), who was also present, was allegedly assaulted.
The crowd later dispersed following discussions with Assam Government officials.
Patton said that on August 26, the Deputy Commissioner, Wokha, along with the SP and SDPO Wokha, ADC Bhandari and Border Magistrate, Merapani, visited the evicted site, including Sector D. They met leaders of Mekirang, Longayim and Lio-Longchum and Lotha Lower Range Public Organisation representatives and advised those allegedly assaulted to file an FIR.
Accordingly, the victims filed an FIR at Bhandari Police Station on August 27, he said.
Villagers were also advised to inform the district administration or Border Magistrate about planned activities so that preventive or joint measures could be taken with Assam counterparts.
DC Wokha subsequently held a joint meeting with the DC Golaghat and his team at the 142 CRPF Camp, Sector D, Merapani. Patton said the DC Wokha conveyed that movement of Naga villagers and the general public should not be hindered as the road was the lifeline of the border villages.
Following discussions, both DCs agreed to activate the Border Level Peace Committee to improve coordination, maintain peace and prevent recurrence of such incidents. Patton said the situation was currently under control.
He also noted that the land falls within the DAB, where three Naga villages– Mekirang, Longayim and Lio-Longchum– also have a stake.
Patton said the Gauhati High Court, through its August 8, 2026 order, granted a further 60-day extension to the 59 households to vacate the land.
He concluded that the State Government was according top priority to the issue and continuously monitoring and pursuing matters concerning the DAB at the Central and State levels.
The Wokha district administration and Border Magistrates were coordinating with their Assam counterparts to protect Naga villages, settlements and people and prevent a recurrence of the August 25-26 confrontations.
He said the Government was also ensuring that any eviction or plantation drive followed a proper mechanism, with officials of both Nagaland and Assam involved, so that no unilateral action was undertaken.
Wednesday, October 14, 2026