Assam seeks custody of four Arunachal men over Dhemaji firing

The Assam government on August 13 said police had identified four men from Arunachal Pradesh allegedly involved in firing at people in Assam’s Dhemaji district and had sought their custody from the neighbouring state.

Education Minister Ranoj Pegu said the incident took place at Badati village under Mingmang panchayat and was within Assam’s territory, with no dispute over the land where the firing occurred.

Pegu made the remarks after a meeting with leaders of the Takam Mising Porin Kebang (TMPK), which is leading an indefinite economic blockade against Arunachal Pradesh, at the Dhemaji Circuit House.

“Four people from Arunachal Pradesh fired on people from Assam at Badati village. The incident did not take place on disputed land. According to our records, it was clearly within Assam,” Pegu said.

He said the four accused were from Hime village in Arunachal Pradesh. Assam Police have shared their names and addresses with their counterparts in Arunachal Pradesh and requested that they be handed over to Assam authorities.

Border Protection and Development Minister Atul Bora was also present at the meeting.

The TMPK has given the Arunachal Pradesh government 48 hours to arrest the four accused, who have been named in an FIR registered by Assam Police. The organisation warned that it would intensify its agitation if the demand was not met.

TMPK president Tilak Doley said the meeting with the state government was positive and that the organisation’s demands had received a favourable response.

The organisation, however, stressed that its protest was not directed against civil society groups in Arunachal Pradesh. Doley said the TMPK was in contact with organisations including the Galo Welfare Society, Galo Students Union and Adi Students Union.

The blockade began on Wednesday after 12 people from Assam were injured in alleged firing by miscreants from Arunachal Pradesh along the inter-state border on Monday. The incident followed tensions over alleged land encroachment.

The TMPK, along with the Mising Mimag Kebang and Takam Mising Mahila Kebang, has been stopping vehicles travelling between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh at entry points. Emergency vehicles and school transportation have been exempted from the blockade.

The Assam government’s assertion that the firing took place outside any disputed area comes amid heightened tensions along the inter-state border and growing demands from local organisations for action against those responsible.