The killing of Lokhi Wangsu at the hands of the Assam Forest Department has once again brought to the fore a violent confrontation in the periphery of the Assam-Arunachal boundary between citizens and Assam forest officials. The father of Wangsu has alleged the torture of his son by forest officials from Assam. On the other hand, Assam forest officials have labeled the villagers as timber smugglers who entered a forest reserve area falling under Assam. The boundaries aren’t clearly demarcated between Arunachal and Assam; therefore, such acts of violence by the Assam Forest Department need to be seriously investigated by the state government of Arunachal.
The body of the 24-year-old from Naitong village in Borduria Circle of Tirap district was found bearing bullets and signs of brutality on September 18 near the forested area of Hukanjuri near the Arunachal-Assam border. The governments of Assam and Arunachal must initiate an impartial inquiry into the brutal killing of the youth. One must bear in mind that such acts of violence by the forest department of Assam will only hamper the ongoing talks regarding boundary demarcation between the states of Assam and Arunachal.