‘Ensure our Naga villages are protected’: Nagaland Dy CM assures Assembly after Assam border flare-up
Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton told the Nagaland Assembly that steps were being taken after the latest border confrontation with Assam. He said coordination, joint mechanisms and administrative engagement would be used to protect villages in the disputed areas.
- Sep 04, 2026,
- Updated Sep 04, 2026, 8:45 AM IST
- Patton described August 25 and 26 incidents in Mekirang and Neghrebil
- Two village chairmen and one organisation representative were allegedly assaulted
- Police registered an FIR at Bhandari station a day later
Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton on September 3 told the state Assembly that the government was taking steps to prevent a recurrence of the recent confrontation along the Nagaland-Assam border and protect residents living in the disputed areas.
Responding to a discussion raised by MLA and Advisor Achumbemo Kikon on the situation, Patton detailed the incidents reported on August 25 and 26 in the Mekirang/Neghrebil area of Sector D of the Disputed Area Belt (DAB).
According to Patton, two village chairmen and a representative of the Lotha Lower Range Public Organisation were allegedly assaulted during a protest on August 26. An FIR was subsequently registered at Bhandari Police Station on August 27.
A key step taken after the incidents was the activation of the Border Level Peace Committee by the Wokha and Golaghat district administrations. The committee is intended to strengthen coordination between the two states, maintain peace along the boundary and prevent further confrontations.
Patton also referred to the eviction dispute in the area. He said 205 households were served eviction notices during a joint eviction drive in August 2025, of which 146 were subsequently evicted. The eviction of the remaining 59 households was stayed by the court.
The Gauhati High Court, through an order issued on August 18, 2026, has since given the 59 families an additional 60 days to vacate the area, Patton said.
The deputy chief minister assured the Assembly that the state government was closely monitoring developments in the DAB and pursuing the matter at both the state and Central levels.
He said the Wokha district administration, led by the deputy commissioner and border magistrates, was coordinating with their Assam counterparts to protect Naga villages, settlements and residents in the disputed areas.
Patton also said the two states would work to ensure that any future eviction or plantation drives were not carried out unilaterally.
"Proper mechanism" would be put in place so that such operations are conducted jointly by officials from Nagaland and Assam, he said, stressing the need to prevent a repeat of the August 25 and 26 confrontations.
