Assam and Nagaland officials meet to ease border tension

The Deputy Commissioners of both the districts along with CRPF officials, which is at present maintaining law and order along the disputed boundary between the two states, held a four-hour meeting at Merapani last evening.

This was to defuse tensions arising after three houses on the Assam side were torched by a group of armed Nagas from across the border on June 11, official sources said here today.

The Wokha district administration has agreed to pay Rs 10,000 each to the affected families and the CRPF has also agreed to intensify patrolling along the border.

Peace committees have been engaged in the disputed area and some police personnel would also be deployed there for a few days, they said.

The local unit of the All Assam Students Union (AASU) had blocked the road leading to Nagaland from Merapani yesterday in protest against the incident. This was lifted after receiving assurances from the district administration that measures would be put in place to prevent such unwanted occurrences.

On June 5, a group of about 10 to 15 armed miscreants from Nagaland had stormed Toroni Gorgusi area of Kulajan, about six km from Merapani, and threatened villagers to stop cultivating there, sources said.

Assam and Nagaland share contentious border in four sectors which often results in frequent tension in those areas.