Golaghat: Tensions have resurfaced along the Assam-Nagaland border after Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) general secretary Bidyut Saikia alleged that Nagaland’s agriculture department is attempting to plant palm oil seedlings in Assam’s Merapani region of Golaghat district.
Addressing the media at the border, Saikia claimed that thousands of seedlings prepared at Nagaland’s state seed farm were being transported into disputed areas. “In March, the Nagas tried to plant seedlings, but local protests stopped them. Recently, over a thousand seedlings were brought in two vehicles. Assam’s land cannot be handed over to Nagaland under any circumstances,” he said, while criticizing the Assam government’s “weak” response.
The Merapani area has long been at the heart of the Assam-Nagaland border conflict. Farmers and activists in Assam allege that Nagaland is overstepping historical boundaries, dating back to the colonial demarcation of 1925. Nagaland, however, disputes this, citing older territorial claims from 1866.
The issue escalated earlier in April 2025 when Nagaland’s State Seed Farm issued eviction notices to more than 1,200 Assamese farmers cultivating oil palms on 1,200 acres of disputed land. Protests followed, with memorandums submitted to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, though no fresh transports were confirmed at the time.
Assam and Nagaland share a 512-km border, with roughly 66,000 hectares under dispute. The conflict, ongoing since Nagaland’s statehood in 1963, has been marred by clashes, encroachment, and insurgency-related tensions. While the matter has been under Supreme Court mediation since 1988, local peace committees and recent high-level talks involving Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have yet to deliver a permanent resolution.
Assam has reinforced security along the border, but activists warn that unless the Centre intervenes with a decisive boundary survey, tensions may spiral further.