Arunachal: Assam Forest Officials Conduct 'Geotagging' in Arunachal Territory Without Prior Notification

ITANAGAR: In a notable incident on Wednesday, officials from the Assam Forest Department entered Arunachal Pradesh's Changlang district to carry out geotagging activities aimed at demarcating the boundary between the two states. The team, comprising ten forest officials from the Lekhapani range, visited the villages of Jopakan and Hachengkan in the Namtok circle around 4 PM.

A video on social media shows villagers recording the movement of the Assam officials, who were reportedly carrying weapons and complained about being recorded. Of note is the fact that the Assam delegation did not pre-inform the Arunachal Pradesh delegation before visiting. An official from Changlang district confirmed, “No prior information was given to officials of Namtok circle by the Assam Forest officials. Fortunately, there was no untoward incident, and they returned later.”

This occurrence comes just two days before a scheduled meeting between the deputy commissioners of Changlang and Tinsukia, set for Friday, which aims to address ongoing boundary disputes.

The two states had signed the Namsai Declaration in 2022, a key agreement aimed at ending long-pending border disputes. The declaration, signed by the chief ministers of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, Pema Khandu and Himanta Biswa Sarma, had set up 12 regional committees for joint verification and recommendations on the border issues. The two states have a long 804.1-kilometer border.

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