Morung Express News
Dimapur | August 16
A revelrous outing on Independence Day turned into an exchange of blows for some youths on the Golaghat–Wokha (Assam–Nagaland) border on August 15. The incident occurred at Roni Old village, a riverside area frequented by picnickers from the Assam side. Roni Old is a Naga village in Wokha district bordering Assam’s Golaghat district.
The episode prompted civil society organisations from Golaghat and Wokha to step in quickly to prevent the youthful skirmish from escalating into a broader conflict in a borderland already marked by uneasy calm owing to the protracted Assam–Nagaland border dispute and, more recently, the eviction drive conducted by the Assam government on alleged state-owned forest lands.
According to Thungbemo Tungoe, president of the Yanhmon Area Public Organisation (YAPO), the incident began when a group of around 15–16 youths from the Golaghat side were picnicking at the riverside in Roni Old village and allegedly creating a disturbance while under the influence of alcohol. The village council, he said, has a standing directive prohibiting the use of intoxicating substances by visitors within its jurisdiction.
Three youths from Roni Old, who were out on a hunting trip, noticed the commotion and intervened. Tungoe, who also attended a meeting at Roni Old after the incident, said the picnickers allegedly responded with physical force, leading to a scuffle. The local youths reportedly retaliated using their airgun butts in self-defence, during which one of the airguns discharged, injuring one of the picnickers from Assam on the buttock.
Following the incident, the picnicking youths alleged that assault rifles were also used, but the claim remains unverified.
A meeting was subsequently held at Roni Old village on August 16, bringing together representatives from various organisations including the All Assam Bodo Students’ Union (Golaghat Division), panchayat members, YAPO, village councils of bordering villages, and the Lotha Lower Range Organisation. Tungoe said that at the meeting, civil society organisations from both sides agreed that the incident should not be allowed to exacerbate existing tensions related to the Assam–Nagaland border dispute or incite communal discord. They also reached a mutual agreement to prevent future harassment of innocent individuals on account of the August 15 incident.
The three village youths involved in the scuffle were detained by Nagaland Police and are currently in the custody of Bhandari Police Station.
At the meeting, the Assam CSOs further assured that they would verify the allegations made by the picnicking youths. Tungoe also appealed to the public to avoid spreading embellished versions of the incident on social media or through news outlets, emphasizing the potential for wider misunderstanding.
