Assam- Nagaland: issues
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Border dispute
2021: accord
Prabin Kalita, August 1, 2021: The Times of India
Amid the hostile situation on its southern front with Mizoram, Assam signed an agreement on Saturday with Nagaland to end the standoff on its eastern front, both agreeing to withdraw each other’s police forces and instead use “UAVs and satellite imagery” to keep a watch on incursions across the disputed boundary between the states and “maintain the status quo”.
The decision was taken at a meeting between Nagaland chief secretary J Alam and his Assam counterpart Jishnu Barua in Dimapur on Saturday. Both sides agreed to withdraw their respective police forces from their present locations on the border to their respective base camps “simultaneously” within 24 hours. The agreement was signed in the presence of Nagaland deputy CM Y Patton and Assam education minister Ranoj Pegu. “The SPs of Mokokchung (Nagaland) and Jorhat (Assam) shall ensure orderly withdrawal of their respective forces and shall be responsible for it in the instant case,” the minutes of the meeting state.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted the developments, describing them as a “major breakthrough towards de-escalating tensions on the Assam-Nagaland border” and as a “historic step in our relations”. He added: “My gratitude to HCM Sri @Neiphiu_Rio for working with #Assam in restoring peace on the border.” An official spokesperson said the meeting between the two chief secretaries was held “with a view to deescalating the tense situation prevailing at two locations — the Dessoi Valley Reserve Forest and Tsurangkong Valley — due to a standoff between the armed police forces of Nagaland and Assam”.
“Both sides agreed that in order to maintain peace and tranquillity in the areas, urgent and effective steps are required for ending the standoff between the security forces of Nagaland and Assam,” the minutes stated, adding that it was in this regard that it had been decided to pull back the police forces.
The boundary dispute between the two states is more than six decades old.