Tensions Rise as Naga Groups Stake Claim on Evicted Land Along Assam-Nagaland Border

A Correspondent

BOKAKHAT: After the peaceful eviction drive at Negheribil along the Assam–Nagaland border, Naga groups have reportedly become active in Mekirang village, alleged environmental activist Apurba Ballabh Goswami.

On Saturday, the Assam government, in a joint operation with the Nagaland government, carried out an eviction drive at Negheribil, near Merapani in the disputed D Sector along the interstate border. During the operation, the administration demolished the houses of 59 families, freeing the encroached land within the Dayang Reserved Forest.

However, serious allegations have emerged after the eviction.  Naga residents have started claiming the vacated area as part of Nagaland.

They claim the area within Assam’s Dayang Reserved Forest as a territory belonging to Mekirang, Longaim and Leo-Longchum villages in Nagaland. According to a source, the Lutha Lower Range Public Organisation (LLRPO) reportedly claimed yesterday that it possessed documents relating to the land cleared during the eviction drive. The organisation demanded immediate intervention in the matter. The question of how the organisation came to possess documents concerning land within Assam’s territory has drawn attention.

A case concerning the Assam–Nagaland boundary dispute has been pending before the Supreme Court for the past 38 years. In 1988, the Assam government filed a case against Nagaland in the Supreme Court over alleged encroachment and expansion into Assam’s territory along the border.

However, according to the Forest Department, the area falls within Assam’s Dayang Reserved Forest, and the Assam government carried out the eviction against encroachers following due legal procedures.

On August 8, 2025, an eviction drive was initiated at Negheribil, and notices were served on 205 families. Of them, 146 families were evicted, while the eviction of the remaining 59 families was halted following a court stay order.

Subsequently, the Golaghat district administration and the Forest Department issued fresh eviction notices to the remaining 59 families. In an order dated August 18 this year, the Gauhati High Court granted these families an additional 60 days to vacate the land. Yesterday, authorities carried out the eviction drive against the remaining 59 families at Negheribil.

Following the operation, Naga groups in the area have reportedly become active. In view of the situation, the Assam government has placed the area under tight security.

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