Dy Chief Minister and Minister in charge of Home, Y Patton. (DIPR Photo)
Situation currently under control along border, Patton assures assembly
Morung Express News
Kohima | September 3
Serious concerns over oil exploration activities and recurring confrontations along the Nagaland-Assam border were raised by Bhandari MLA Achumbemo Kikon seeking clarity from the State Government on the ongoing activities in the Disputed Area Belt (DAB).
Kikon raised the issues during the commencement of the ninth session of the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly, citing a representation submitted by the Yanmhon Area Public Organisation on August 31.
He said the organisation had objected to the execution of oil drilling-related works by ONGC in the Lio-Wokha oil area near Hayiyan village under Bhandari subdivision, Wokha district.
Kikon sought to know whether the company had obtained the necessary approval from the Government of Nagaland to undertake the activities. If no such approval had been granted, he urged the government to have the proposed site verified by the competent authority and maintain the status quo on the ongoing works until the matter could be resolved amicably in accordance with the Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Referring to the Tripartite MoU signed between the Governments of Nagaland, Assam and India concerning the survey, exploration and extraction of crude oil and other minerals in the disputed belt, Kikon said the latest developments had raised fresh concerns among people living in the Naga-inhabited areas.
He said the site was located close to Lio village and fell within an area traditionally associated with Naga villages, although it is officially recognised as part of the Disputed Area Belt.
According to Kikon, ONGC, under the patronage of the Assam government, had already begun survey activities in the area and had reportedly gone to the extent of identifying possible drilling points. He said relevant documents and newspaper reports had been submitted to the Assembly in support of his contention.
The MLA said the issue had become particularly sensitive because sections of Naga society, including civil society organisations and former freedom fighters, had expressed reservations despite the signing of the Tripartite MoU.
He cautioned that continued exploration and drilling activities from the Assam side could have serious implications for Naga interests, particularly if oil deposits beneath Naga areas were accessed through inclined drilling or other modern extraction techniques.
Kikon stressed the need for the State Government to take the matter seriously and ensure that commitments made under the Tripartite MoU translated into concrete action.
“This is the latest incident which I am placing before the House for a proper statement from the government,” he said, while seeking clarification from the ministers concerned.
Kikon also raised the alleged assault of villagers from Longayim and surrounding areas following an incident on August 25. He said the continuing uncertainty over the disputed area was placing ordinary villagers at risk and affecting their ability to move freely through the region.
He also referred to the recent eviction exercises conducted jointly by Nagaland and Assam in parts of the DAB, stating that even the right-of-way for villagers was now being hindered.
The MLA sought detailed responses from the ministers in charge of Oil and Natural Gas and Forest, Environment and Climate Change on what steps had been taken by the State Government.
He particularly questioned whether Nagaland’s Forest Department had considered deploying forest guards along the disputed stretch, given Assam’s position that forest personnel were being stationed in the area because it falls under forest land.
Patton outlines government response
Responding to the issues raised, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister in charge of Home, Y Patton, provided the House with details of the incidents reported on August 25 and 26 in the Mekirang/Neghrebil area of the Disputed Area Belt along the Nagaland-Assam border.
Patton said that on the evening of August 25, a vehicle carrying rubber saplings supplied by the Rubber Board of India was stopped at a barricade erected by the Assam Forest Department while it was travelling towards Longayim village. The saplings were meant for plantation in Longayim village and not in the evicted area, he said.
When the Longayim Village Council and villagers present at the site requested that the vehicle be allowed to proceed, a crowd of people from the Assam side gathered, resulting in a scuffle between the two groups.
Border Magistrates from Nagaland and Assam subsequently reached the location and jointly assessed the situation. After verifying that the rubber saplings were intended for Longayim village, the vehicle was allowed to proceed, bringing the immediate confrontation to an end.
The following day, however, another confrontation took place. Patton said a group of people from the Assam side who were residing near the evicted site gathered and protested near the barricade established by the Assam Forest Department.
During the incident, the chairmen of Longayim and Lio-Longchum villages came across the protesters while travelling through the area and were allegedly attacked after being accused of being responsible for the previous night’s confrontation.
The Joint Secretary of the Lotha Lower Range Public Organisation (LLRPO), who was also present at the site, was also allegedly assaulted. The crowd later dispersed following discussions with Assam government officials, Patton said.
On August 26, a team led by Wokha Deputy Commissioner, accompanied by the Superintendent of Police and SDPO Wokha, ADC Bhandari and the Border Magistrate from Merapani, visited the evicted site, including Sector D of the Disputed Area Belt, informed Patton.
The team met village leaders from Mekirang, Longayim and Lio-Longchum, along with representatives of the LLRPO. Those who had reportedly been assaulted were advised to file an FIR, with the district administration assuring them that the matter would be taken up appropriately. Patton said the victims subsequently filed an FIR at Bhandari Police Station on August 27.
Villagers were also advised to inform the district administration or the Border Magistrate in advance about any activities planned in the area so that preventive or joint measures could be taken up with their Assam counterparts.
The Wokha Deputy Commissioner later held a joint meeting with the Golaghat Deputy Commissioner and his team at the 142 CRPF Camp in Sector D, Merapani.
During the meeting, the Wokha DC stressed that the movement of Naga villagers and the general public should not be obstructed, pointing out that the road serves as a lifeline for villages along the border.
Following discussions, the two administrations agreed to activate the Border Level Peace Committee to improve coordination, maintain peace and prevent similar incidents from recurring.
Patton told the Assembly that the situation was currently under control.
Background to the dispute
Providing a broader context to the recent incidents, Patton said a joint eviction drive had been carried out by Nagaland and Assam government officials in the Neghrebil/Mekirang area of Sector D, Doyang Reserve Forest, on August 8, 2025.
A total of 205 households had been served eviction notices, of which 146 were evicted. The eviction of the remaining 59 households was put on hold following a court order.
The Golaghat District Administration and Assam Forest Department later issued fresh eviction notices to the same 59 households, asking them to vacate the area by August 18, 2026.
Patton said the land where the eviction exercise took place falls within the Disputed Area Belt and is also claimed by three Naga villages namely Mekirang, Longayim and Lio-Longchum.
He further informed the House that the Gauhati High Court, through an order dated August 18, 2026, had granted a further 60-day extension to the affected households to vacate the disputed land.
To this end, Patton said the State Government had accorded the Disputed Area Belt its “topmost priority” and was continuously monitoring and pursuing matters relating to the area at both the Central and State levels.
He said the district administration in Wokha, led by the Deputy Commissioner and Border Magistrates, remained in active coordination with their Assam counterparts.
Patton assured the House that all necessary measures were being taken to protect Naga villages, settlements and residents and to prevent a recurrence of the confrontations witnessed on August 25 and 26.
He also stressed that in the event of future eviction or plantation drives in the disputed areas, proper mechanisms would be put in place to ensure that no unilateral action was taken and that such exercises were carried out jointly by officials of Nagaland and Assam.
