Assam and Nagaland sign MoU to ease tension on inter-state border, withdraw police forces

Assam and Nagaland began to withdraw their police forces from Dissoi Valley reserved forest/Tsurangkong valley following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on Saturday to defuse the standoff in the disputed inter-state boundary.

As per the MoU signed between Nagaland Chief Secretary Jan Alam and Assam Chief Secretary Jishnu Baruah at Dimapur in Nagaland, the two states decided to withdraw their police post from the disputed land which recently led to increased tension on the inter-state border. The police posts were put up by the two states following allegations of encroachment.

"Both sides agreed that to maintain peace and tranquility in the areas around Ao Senden Village and Vikuto Village as they are known in Nagaland and known as Jankhona Nala/Nagajankha and Compartment No.12 respectively in Assam, urgent and effective steps are required for diffusing the stand-off between the security forces of Nagaland and Assam.

In this regard, it was decided by both sides that security personnel of both states shall simultaneously move back from their present locations to their respective base camps in the next 24 hours as far as possible," said the MoU signed by the two states.

Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister Y. Patton and Assam cabinet minister Ranoj Pegu were present in the meeting on Saturday.

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Dissoi Valley forest is located on the 512-km inter-state border between Assam and Nagaland. A petition is pending in the Supreme Court regarding the dispute and central forces are deployed in the border from Jorhat in eastern Assam to Dimapur in Nagaland.

Tension in the Dissoi Valley had prevailed since November and miscreants from the Nagaland side even opened fire when Assam MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi visited the disputed area in May. Kurmi, who was elected as a Congress MLA from Mariani Constituency in Assam, quit the Congress and joined BJP in June.

The MoU further said the two states shall monitor the area by surveillance using UAV and satellite imagery with a view to maintaining the status quo.

The MoU and withdrawal of forces is seen as a positive development at a time when Assam and Mizoram are engaged in a conflict over the inter-state border. Six Assam policemen were killed and 41 others were injured in firing by Mizoram police on July 26 on the border between South Assam's Cachar district and Kolasib district of Mizoram.