Even as both chief ministers of Assam and Arunachal spoke to each other to try and defuse tension over the move of the Assam Forest officials to serve an eviction notice to the villagers of Kimin circle located along the Assam-Arunachal boundary, the Assam Forest officials resorted to firing in the air at Bello village on Tuesday.
According to a report, when a group of villagers were cutting trees in preparation for the coming year’s Nyokum celebration, Assam’s Forest officials fired in the air to try to stop the villagers.
This is a highly provocative act by the Assam officials. They are threatening to further increase the hostility between the two states.
Such actions threaten the lives of the people. At a time when the political bosses at the highest level are trying to resolve the long-pending vexed boundary row, the act of Assam Forest officials first to serve an eviction notice to Arunachalee villagers and then to indulge in air firing to try to intimidate them is highly condemnable. The attempt to bully the people of Arunachal is not acceptable.
All the serious attempts to try to resolve the boundary matter being made by political bosses of the two states are being undermined by the act of the Assam Forest officials. The situation in Bello village is getting increasingly tense. There are possibilities of a serious breach of law and order in the area. Both Assam and Arunachal governments need to act fast before the situation gets out of control.