Arunachal govt doing activities, schemes at Behali: Assam govt

Assam government today charged its counterpart in Arunachal Pradesh with carrying out "some activities and implementing some schemes" at Behali area in its territory,where 11 people were killed last month by miscreants from the hill state.
Issuing an official statement at the ongoing Assembly session here, the state Environment and Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain said, "Though the Behali Reserve Forest is inside the Assam border, Arunachal Pradesh is doing some activities and implementing some schemes there."
As a result, people living in the area have an impression that the locality belongs to Arunachal Pradesh, he added.
"It is noticed that Arunachali people living in the border areas have been forcefully occupying the Behali Reserve Forest with the help of some anti-social elements," Hussain said adding a border dispute case against the neighbouring state is going on in the Supreme Court.

Assam police has also registered nine cases related to the Behali incident against Arunachali persons, including the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Balijan, he added.
The Assam government has already written to the Centre asking for a CBI enquiry into the incident, he said.

Congress MLA Pallab Lochan Das said Arunachal Pradesh has set up schools, churches and provided electricity connections to the people living inside the forest.
On January 29, 11 CPI(ML) supporters were killed and 12 others were injured by miscreants from Arunachal Pradesh when human wall was being erected by residents of Assam side to stop encroachment. Besides, three more persons were missing.

This led to massive protests and an eight-day long economic blockade against Arunachal Pradesh by a number of political and social groups in Assam.
"Assam is keeping a constant watch on the Behali incident and the Chief Minister has already discussed the situation at a high-level security meeting on the next day," Hussain said.