The Golaghat district of Assam is still burning over a border dispute.  Naga separatist group National Socialist Council of Nagaland Isak and Muivah (NSCN-IM) unleashed barbaric attacks on Assamese people living in these areas. Common people abandoned their homes and departed to other places. Over 10,000 people have fled their homes and are taking shelter in relief camps. In reaction, chauvinist organizations in Assam clubbed together Naga militants and ordinary Naga people and went to the extent of suggesting economic blockades. The situation could have been handled by the government through diplomatic measures and administrative action, but wasn’t.

The border dispute between Assam and Nagaland has a long history. Sundaram Commission recommended a borderline between the two states in early 1970s. But the Nagaland state government did not agree to the Commission’s suggestions. Later, in the 1980s, a case was filed in Supreme Court. That has seen no verdict for the last three decades. The recent atrocities by Naga militants on the people of Assam, and dwindling action by Assam government in Golaghat district has created an anarchic situation in the area.

Historical Context

The British, for administrative reasons, combined some parts of Naga Hills and a district of Assam and demarcated the border of Nagaland in 1925. On August 1, 1960 (it was officially declared a state on December 1, 1963), when Nagaland was formed, the central government declared the 1925 border as the final one. Then different geographical areas of the state of Assam were subdivided district-wise. Naturally, the pre-independent border underwent many changes. Nagaland state government did not agree to the new border. That was when the central government appointed Sundaram Commission in 1971 under the chairmanship of K. V. K. Sundaram, former Chief Election Commissioner of India. Congress was in power in Assam, Nagaland and the centre too. But didn’t feel the need to come up with a lasting solution.

The Sundaram Commission had sifted through historical evidence and come to the conclusion that the Naga claim to 4,975 square miles of Assam territory was not based on verifiable facts. In fact, British colonial rulers, after demarcating Assam as a separate province in 1873, had merged territory under the former Ahom kingdom into Naga Hills district, according to colonial records. But the Nagas for decades have been pursuing a policy of defying constitutional arbitration to extend their northern boundary. In 1991 and 2006 the Nagaland government established new administrative subdivisions on disputed territory. The Assam government duly lodged protests, but did not carry matters further, to the disadvantage of the people of Sivasagar, Jorhat and Golaghat districts. The present attacks are perceived by the people of Assam as a continuation of that old dispute.

 

The Disputed Area

The Assam-Nagaland boundary has been “disputed territory” in the sense that the Nagas claim that present boundaries had been drawn by incorporating vast areas belonging to them into Assam. There does not appear to be much solid historical evidence in support of such claims, and medieval Assamese chronicles (called buranjis) along with British official records appear to contradict many of these claims.The disputed area neither belonged to Assam nor Nagaland. But Assamese people are living there. In the 1970s, landless people of Bodo and Rajbangshi communities of Assam were settled there by Assam govt. The practice of demanding money from people living there started then. There were clashes between local farmers and Naga militants. The population growth rate of Assam is much higher than Nagaland, and eventually, many people from Assam started migrating and settling there. Naga militants allowed them to settle there, while imposing “tax” on them. Till they got those taxes, there would be no violence. Whenever farmers refused to pay up, they would have to face violent consequences.

Central government washed its hands off the whole affair by deploying “neutral” military forces, and the state governments avoided responsibility saying inter-state border disputes are matters on the Concurrent List. As per Standard Operating Procedure, both Assam and Nagaland government have control over armed forces in the disputed area. But the Tarun Gogoi-led government of Assam didn’t use this power.

The disputed areas between Assam and Nagaland have four divisions. Sector A, B, C and D respectively. Sector A is 131.12 square miles in area and spreads from Tiyok river at Arunachal-Nagaland border to Taokak river to Jazi river and the southern part of Laahdoigarh. This sector is almost under siege from NSCN now. Sector B is 586 square miles from Jazi River to Ghaboru Hills and from Ghaboru hills to Dichoy River and Nogabaat or Nogabandha. Again from Dichoy river via Kakdonga, Mukund and Ghiladari upto the conjuction of Doyong and Dhansiri river in the west. Sector C starts from the junction of Doyong and Dhansiri river to Thuramukh block near Dhansiri. The east block of Kachar hills, and the neighboring areas of Lumding are also in this sector. The entire Naambor reserve forest, eastern part of Karbianglong and Dhansari subdivision also. The total area is about 2825.76 square mile. Sector D is spreads over 285.76 square mile. The whole north Kachar hill district comes under this sector.

NSCN-IM is trying to extend their attention to three other sectors. Central Government did not do anything in the last three decades except merely accepting that these four areas are prone to dispute. Compounding the problem is the fact that these areas are under the Assam State Forest Department. The only probable solution may be to bring these areas under Revenue Department and distribute pattas (legal documents of land ownership) to local people. Currently, people residing in these areas have no land rights. So when Naga militants attack their homes, they cannot reclaim their land by legal means. Additionally, according to the 16 point agreement between Naga leaders and the Indian union, known as the “Naga People’s Convention and the Government of India Agreement”, signed on July 26, 1960, Section 12says that all reserved forest and other Naga areas that were transferred out of Nagaland will be returned to the state with a clearly defined boundary. This refers to certain reserved forests which formed part of the Naga Hills District from 1882 to 1903, but which, since 1903, have been part of Assam. Even on the matter of consolidation of contiguous Naga areas, Section 13 of the agreement urges that other Naga tribes inhabiting the area contiguous to present Nagaland should be allowed to join Nagaland if they so desire. Evidently, the peace process in these areas will not be easy and needs concentrated initiative and discussion by both state governments and Central government.

At the same time, the chauvinist tendency in Assam of viewing the opinions of Nagaland government or actions by Naga militants as being corroborated by the ordinary people of Nagaland should stop. Otherwise, the gulf between Assamese and Naga people will only continue to be widened in the near future.