Dispute erupts again on Assam-Arunachal border, both Chief Ministers met a few days ago

The chief ministers of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh met a few days ago to discuss a "permanent solution" to the decades-old border dispute between the two states. Just days after the meeting, fresh tensions were reported on the inter-state border on Wednesday night. The latest controversy pertains to the ongoing Likabali-Durpai PMGSY road project in the Lower Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh. Assam claims that parts of this road under construction since 2019 fall under its Dhemaji district.

On Wednesday evening, an under-construction culvert near Hime village in Lower Siang was torched by "unknown miscreants from the Assam side", officials said. After that, there were unconfirmed reports of "air firing" by locals from the Arunachal Pradesh side on Wednesday night. Dhemaji in Assam and Lower Siang in Arunachal Pradesh - both share a border of about 150 km in the district. Officials from these districts reached the spot on Thursday morning and said the incident was "minor" and "the situation was under control."

The tension started after a team of Assam Police stopped the construction of a road in Hime, the Indian Express reported. Dhemaji district superintendent of police (SP) Ranjan Bhuyan said, “The Likabali-Durpai road touches the disputed area at some points on the border. The day before yesterday, our team stopped one such build. Since this is a disputed area, we have stopped construction on previous occasions as well.”

'It was not a big deal

According to reports, Lower Siang district SP Kushal Pal Singh said a dispute was going on on some stretch of the road, and on Tuesday there was an argument between the Assam Police and the local villagers of Hime. "After that, last night, some miscreants from the Assam side set fire to an under-construction culvert," Singh said. He said that he had received information about some firing in the air by locals from the Arunachal side, but it was not confirmed. According to Singh, such incidents of violence happen "occasionally". "It was not a big incident," he said.

The matter is in the Supreme Court

Arunachal Pradesh, once a part of Assam, shares a border of more than 800 km with Assam. There have been reports of violence erupting in the border area. Clashes were first reported in 1992, and since then, there have been several allegations of illegal encroachment and intermittent clashes from both sides. The matter is in Supreme Court.

The CMs of both the states met recently.

After Monday's meeting with Arunachal Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Sarma tweeted: "Solving border issues with neighbors is our priority. Discussed with the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Shri Pema Khandu, who arrived in Guwahati, to discuss the way of a permanent solution to the long-pending issue. We have decided to conduct a ground-level survey on the border situation."