Dimapur, September 22 (MExN): Reports from the border town of Merapani, between Assam and Nagaland, today said tensions have been increasing after activists of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) began confiscating essentials bought by Nagas. Reports say resentment and palpable anger are being felt from the Naga population since the AASU allegedly began ‘taking away’ even petty vegetable stuff individuals from the Naga community bought from the border town’s local markets.
The AASU clamped an economic blockade against Nagaland after personnel of the 12 NAP (IR) allegedly committed “excesses” on Assamese students who were protesting on National Highway 39 near Golaghat on September 16.
Since the blockade began September 18, activists of the AASU are reportedly ‘overdoing’ the enforcement and harassing Naga individuals who shop in Marapani’s numerous local rural markets. Sources from Merapani said individuals from the Naga community are prohibited from taking home even vegetables and food stuff. In fact, sources – contacted by The Morung Express tonight – said the Naga individuals are freely allowed to enter the local trade areas to shop and buy essential commodities, mostly food. But, a former village chairman of a Naga village in the Merapani areas said over phone, AASU activists take away the food stuff from the Naga individuals.
This attitude of the AASU activists are said to have started to building anger from the Naga population there and are seeking ‘payback.’
A local leader from Merapani, Michael Odyuo said, he has also heard reports about the activists forcibly taking away vegetables and petty foodstuff from Naga individuals. He said the situation has not yet turned serious – or at least not that he is aware of any serious trends for now.
Another source said the AASU activists in Merapeni are prohibiting Nagas – mostly Kyong Naga locals from Merapani and another border town, nearby Bhandari – to buy commodities from the Assam side. They let the local Nagas buy whatever they need but when they return, AASU members take away all the things bought.
An email received here from a concerned citizen also confirmed this ‘act of thievery’ by the AASU activists. It was also informed that the vehicle of a Border Magistrate was stopped and checked. “We request the administration, students bodies and all the NGOs and Lotha Hoho to take this matter seriously and take action to all the AASU members who were present at that time and pay back all the things they have looted from the local people,” said the email.
The commandant of the sector “neutral force”, Central Police Reserve Force, at Merapani could not be reached owing to poor cellular communications. Attempts to reach the Merapani authorities as well as local student bodies were made but calls made to them were not taken.
In 1985, a brief but bloody interstate “mini-war” broke out between Nagaland’s police force and Assam’s with the former inflicting heavy casualties on the latter’s forces. The border dispute between the two sides has been an integral part in the local geo-political affairs of the area for a long time since the 1970s. Tensions and violence, and communal conflicts between those from the Assam side and Nagaland’s own, in Merapani and Bhandari town, remain a news-point to this day. A ‘second Merapani war’ nearly erupted again when in 1991 the two state’s police forces in the border areas of Merapani reportedly exchanged heavy fire.
