Assam-Nagaland border violence toll mounts to 11

Guwahati: The death toll in firing and arson along the Assam-Nagaland border by alleged miscreants from Nagaland has increased to 11 with the recovery of nine more bodies from the disturbed Uriamghat area of Assam on Friday even as night curfew continued.

Assam Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) A P Rout told PTI that all the bodies belonged to the victims of the first day's violence on Tuesday in the trouble-hit areas of Uriamghat in Golaghat district.

Two of the nine bodies were recovered from Sukhanjan and Chainpur villages and they were identified as that of Joca Tirkey and Jiten Khalko, Rout said.

Another body, identified as that of Nisa Ekka, and six other unnamed bodies were also recovered from the area falling under 'B' Sector of the Assam-Nagaland border, the police said. Two other bodies belonging to Fasai Karmakar and Africa Toppo were also found.

Meanwhile, night curfew from 6 PM to 6 AM will continue in the troubled areas of Uriamghat, the ADGP said.

Around 200 houses of over 1,000 people were set ablaze by the miscreants, he said adding over 10,000 people have left their homes and are sheltering in 10 relief camps opened in the area.

Seven villages, including Chetiagaon, Romanbasti, Chainpur, Ratanpur, Kamphur and Sukhanjan falling under Sector B of the Assam-Nagaland border, have been affected by the violence.

The violence took place on Tuesday when angry locals were protesting in front of 155 CRPF battalion offices at Chetiagaon village in Golaghat district against the abduction of two boys by suspected miscreants from Nagaland.

Unable to control the agitators, CRPF personnel resorted to baton charge to disperse them and at the same time the miscreants fired from across the border.

On Friday, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had said the violence along the inter-state border with Nagaland took place as the neutral force CRPF could not give security to the people living there.

"Whatever protection CRPF should have given, they could not give. That is why the violence took place and people died," he had said.

When asked specifically whether the CRPF failed to discharge its duties, he had said, "I will not exactly say that."

Since 1979, the Assam-Nagaland border is divided into six sectors -- A, B, C, D, E and F -- falling under Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat and Karbi Anglong districts.

The police of both the states cannot be present there but a “neutral force” gives normal day-to-day security.

In 1988, the Assam government had filed a case in the Supreme Court, which formed a Mediation Committee to give a report on the disputed land. It has submitted the report.