HT Digital
GUWAHATI, Feb 28: In a dramatic event on Wednesday, Assam Forest Department officials entered Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district to conduct geotagging operations aimed at defining the border between the two states.
The ten-member team of forest officials from the Lekhapani range entered the villages of Jopakan and Hachengkan in the Namtok circle at about 4 PM.
Related Posts:
The trip, however, raised suspicions among the indigenous villagers. A video posted on social media reveals villagers filming the Assam authorities’ movement, who were said to be armed. The authorities were seen protesting against being photographed, which also raised tensions.
Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that the Assam delegation failed to notify their Arunachal Pradesh counterparts prior to their visit. A Changlang district official confirmed, “No advance information was provided to Namtok circle officials by the Assam Forest officials. Luckily, there was no untoward incident, and they came back later.”
This incident happened just two days ahead of a very important meeting between the deputy commissioners of Changlang and Tinsukia, which is to be held on Friday. The meeting is to resolve continuous boundary disputes between the two adjacent states, which have been long-standing issues of contention.
Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have been trying to settle their border conflicts through diplomatic means. In 2022, the two states signed the Namsai Declaration, a historic agreement intended to bring an end to the age-old problems.
Signed by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the agreement resulted in the establishment of 12 regional committees to carry out joint verifications and make recommendations on border-related issues.
