Guwahati, Aug 13: The Assam government on Thursday sought to treat the recent firing incident along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border as a law-and-order issue, while appealing to protest organisations to withdraw an indefinite economic blockade against the neighbouring state.Assam Border Development and Protection Minister Atul Bora said the August 10 incident should not be linked to the broader inter-State boundary dispute as a police case has already been registered in Assam.
He said Assam Police were identifying those allegedly involved in the incident and would take action according to law.The government’s position came amid renewed tensions around the Likabali stretch of the inter-State boundary, where another confrontation was reported on Thursday.
Police reportedly fired warning shots into the air to disperse protesters.The indefinite economic blockade was launched by the Takam Mising Porin Kebang (TMPK) and other organisations to demand action against those allegedly responsible for the August 10 firing.
The protest has affected the movement of goods and road connectivity between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.Education Minister Ranoj Pegu said the Assam government would bear the medical expenses of people injured in the August 10 incident.
He also appealed against holding the entire population of Arunachal Pradesh responsible for the alleged actions of a few individuals.Bora said the immediate priority was to prevent the situation from escalating and cautioned that vested interests could exploit local tensions to damage relations between communities living on either side of the border.
He emphasised the close social ties between people in the two states and said the issue should be resolved through dialogue rather than confrontation.The Assam government has also decided to restart discussions on the long-standing boundary dispute.
Bora said a committee headed by Pegu had been constituted and another regional committee would be formed for districts sharing a border with Arunachal Pradesh.
He referred to the Namsai Declaration signed by the chief ministers of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh on July 15, 2022, as an important framework for resolving boundary-related differences through negotiations.
The talks had reportedly slowed during the Assam Assembly election period but are now being revived.Pegu also urged TMPK to withdraw the blockade in view of the renewed discussions between the two sides.Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has appealed to people on both sides to maintain peace and mutual respect, while Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has called for land-related differences to be resolved through peaceful negotiations.
The Assam government’s latest measures are aimed at addressing the immediate law-and-order situation while keeping the larger boundary dispute within the framework of dialogue and negotiations.
