Assam–Nagaland border row at Uriamghat: FIR filed, joint meeting at 4 pm
Officials remained tight-lipped during their visit, avoiding questions from the press ahead of the joint meeting
District officials and Assam Police personnel supervise the area where Naga miscreants uprooted saplings on Wednesday in Uriamghat (AT Image)
Uriamghat, Oct 30: Senior officials from Nagaland and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), on Thursday, visited the Rengma Reserved Forest near Uriamghat in Golaghat district, where newly planted saplings were allegedly uprooted by miscreants from Nagaland on Wednesday.
During the visit, the officials refrained from commenting on the incident and kept the media at a distance.
“We have a meeting at 4 pm between Assam and Nagaland officials,” said a border magistrate from Nagaland, declining further comment.
A senior CRPF officer also chose not to elaborate, merely stating that the force remained neutral in its duties.
“The CRPF is a neutral force and does not take sides. Everything will be clarified after discussions. The Deputy Commissioner will brief everyone after the meeting. An FIR has been filed, and the Superintendent of Police will conduct a full investigation,” the official said.
According to reports, tension flared on Wednesday after 200–300 villagers from Nagaland allegedly entered the Rengma Reserved Forest area in Uriamghat.
The Naga villagers reportedly cut down saplings planted by the Assam Forest Department as part of a reforestation drive following recent eviction operations in the area.
Local sources claimed that abandoned houses in the area were also set on fire during the incident. There were also allegations that the group entered the site with the support of a C Sector commandant.
However, when officials were asked about these claims, they refused to respond.
The afforestation drive, which involved the plantation of thousands of saplings, had been carried out in August.
The initiative aimed to restore forest cover in the disputed area block (DAB) after eviction drives earlier this year.
Despite earlier assurances of tight security, local organisations questioned how such a large group could travel nearly 15 km to reach the site undetected.
A meeting at the CRPF C Sector camp in Uriamghat a day before the incident had reportedly decided that gatherings of more than four people in the evicted area would not be permitted.
Officials from the Sarupathar sub-division later visited the border area following the incident.
Tension remains high in the region, with both sides awaiting the outcome of the joint meeting between Assam and Nagaland officials scheduled later in the day.