Arunachal to raise Changlang boundary issue with Assam after polls

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on March 11 told the Assembly that the state government will take up the alleged violation of the status quo along the inter-state boundary in Changlang district with the Assam government after the Assembly elections in the neighbouring state.

Responding to a question raised by BJP MLA Laisam Simai during Question Hour, Khandu said he would instruct the Changlang Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police to coordinate with officials in Assam’s Dibrugarh district to ensure the situation does not escalate in the disputed areas.

Simai alleged that despite Arunachal Pradesh maintaining status quo in the disputed zone, officials from the neighbouring state had entered the area without authorisation on several occasions. According to him, such visits had taken place 17 times, and local residents were even assaulted during some of the incidents.

The chief minister said the issue would be formally taken up with Assam after the election process concludes, while also stressing the need for administrative coordination between the districts bordering the disputed region.

The matter of the boundary dispute also came up during a supplementary question by BJP MLA Wanglin Lowangdong regarding the unresolved border issue in Tirap district despite the signing of the Namsai Declaration on July 15, 2022.

Khandu said that, according to the report of the Survey of India, the dispute between Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh and Tinsukia district of Assam had already been settled. However, he added that if discrepancies still exist, the matter could only be addressed through dialogue.

“Even if there are any discrepancies, we can look for out-of-the-box solutions through discussion with Assam, but officially we cannot do anything,” Khandu said.

Earlier, Inter-State Border Affairs Minister Mama Natung informed the House that five villages in Changlang district were not included in the Namsai Declaration because the regional committee formed for the district was kept in abeyance after initial objections from Assam.

Natung said that no disputed villages from Changlang district were listed in the report of the local commission submitted in 2014, and as a result, no final settlement has yet been reached for the Changlang–Tinsukia sector.

He also noted that the Tarun Chatterjee Committee had earlier recommended that the five villages fall under Assam. The same finding was also recorded in a report submitted by the then deputy commissioner of Changlang.

The minister added that villagers had moved the court over the issue and the case remains sub judice, which has prevented both state governments from reaching an amicable settlement so far.

The Namsai Declaration, signed by the chief ministers of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, was considered a significant step towards resolving the long-standing boundary dispute between the two states. The agreement initially aimed to address disputes involving 123 villages along the inter-state boundary, a number later reduced to 86 villages after negotiations and joint verification.

Arunachal Pradesh has consistently maintained that several forested tracts in the plains traditionally belonged to hill tribal communities and were transferred to Assam earlier without consultation. After the region became a Union Territory in 1972 and later attained statehood in 1987, a tripartite committee recommended transferring certain territories from Assam to Arunachal Pradesh. Assam contested the recommendation, and the matter remained pending before the Supreme Court for years.