The conflict between Assam and Nagaland mostly relates to land encroachment. During the creation of Nagaland in 1963, an agreement was signed by the Naga People's Committee and the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Some of the clauses in the agreement on land transfer to Nagaland remain unimplemented to date and have become the underlying cause of conflict between the two states.
Assam and Nagaland share a 434-kilometre border. In other words, about 66,000 hectares of land are disputed. This interstate border is divided into six sectors -- A, B, C, D, E and F. These sectors include Sivsagar, Golaghat, Jorhat and Karbi Anglong districts, all of which presently lie in Assam. Nagaland claims that sectors A, B, C and D belong to the Naga tribes and should not be a part of Assam.
During the colonial rule, the British government made these sectors a part of Assam for administrative convenience; these were supposed to be transferred to Nagaland after its creation. But till date, no such transfer has been made. The Assam government claims that since there has been no direction from the Centre in this regard, it shall not take steps to carve out the districts demanded by Nagaland.
This decades-old dispute has given rise to violent incidents over the years, leading to mass killings and displacement, and remains a constant cause of concern between the two states.
Two violent incidents in 1979 and 1985 resulted in over 100 fatalities. On January 5, 1979, armed men from Nagaland killed 54 Assamese people in a series of attacks on villages in Golaghat district. Over 23,500 people had to be accommodated in relief camps at the time. In June 1985, over 41 people in Assam were murdered, including 28 Assam police personnel at Merapani, also in Golaghat.
Several rounds of talks have been held between the two states to settle this dispute, but these have not led to any solution to date.
On August 11, 2014, Assamese people staged a protest outside a Central Reserve Police Force camp, demanding the release of two school students allegedly abducted by Naga insurgents. Following this, violence erupted as the All Adivasi National Liberation Army raided two villages along the Assam-Nagaland border – Ronsuyan and Chandalashung – beating up people and destroying property. This led to an exodus of over 10,000 people, who were moved to 14 relief camps in Uriamghat in Golaghat.
In the aftermath of this violence, the Assam government moved the Supreme Court. The dispute is being mediated by the Boundary Commission set up under the direction of the court.
In September 2020, after six years, the governments of the two states held a high-level meeting towards settling the border dispute. “The Assam government proposed joint patrolling by police personnel of both the States with Central forces along the inter-state border. The Nagaland government accepted the proposal in principle,” said Assam’s Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna after a meeting with his Nagaland counterpart Temjen Toy.
However, in November 2020, the issue escalated after organisations in Assam accused Nagaland of setting up a police camp inside Dissoi Valley Reserve Forest and deployed armed Assam police in the area and also erected a temporary camp near the disputed area. The situation was brought under control but the states are still awaiting orders of the apex court.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Settling border dispute
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Common and Private
Forest and Non-Forest
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
Type of investment:
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Forest and Scheduled Area Governance Laws
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Forced evictions/dispossession of land
Legal Status:
In Court
Status of Case In Court
Pending
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Supreme Court of India
Case Number
Original Suit No. 2/1988
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Killing
Displacement
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
On January 5, 1979, armed men from Nagaland killed 54 Assamese people in a series of attacks on villages in Golaghat district. Over 23,500 people had to be accommodated in relief camps at the time. In June 1985, over 41 people in Assam were murdered, including 28 Assam police personnel at Merapani, also in Golaghat.
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Government of Assam, Government of Nagaland
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
No
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
No
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Nagas, Assamese
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
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