At least 18 people from Assam were injured, four critically, after firing broke out during a confrontation along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border in Dhemaji district on Monday. The incident took place at Mingmang Basti amid a dispute over alleged encroachment.
The injured were taken to hospitals for treatment, with four critically injured people shifted to Dibrugarh Medical College and Hospital, according to reports. The firing has renewed tension along the disputed inter-state boundary.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said senior officials of both states were coordinating to bring the situation under control.
“A localised incident was reported in Dhemaji along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh boundary. The situation has been promptly brought under control and tensions defused,” Sarma said in a social media post.
Firing Reported During Land Dispute
The confrontation reportedly followed a dispute over alleged encroachment in the border area. The incident occurred in the Mingmang Basti area of Dhemaji, where residents from the two sides were involved in a confrontation before firing was reported.
The identities of those who opened fire have not been established in the material available. Reports have described the shooters as unidentified individuals from the Arunachal Pradesh side.
The initial reports on the number of injured varied, with an earlier figure of 11 later revised to at least 18, including four people in critical condition. The latest reports put the injury toll at 18.
Sarma said Assam Police reinforcement had reached the location and that efforts were under way to de-escalate the situation.
“Assam Police reinforcement has reached the location. We need to de-escalate the situation. At the same time, I have directed the Assam Police that under no circumstances should Assam lose even an inch of its land,” the Chief Minister said.
Assam, Arunachal Officials Coordinate
Sarma said Assam’s chief secretary and Director General of Police were in contact with their counterparts in Arunachal Pradesh. He also said Assam minister Ranoj Pegu was in touch with his counterpart.
“Our DGP and chief secretary are in touch with their counterpart, and the situation is under control,” Sarma said in an earlier statement on the incident.
The Chief Minister also described the episode as localised and said the matter was being addressed through communication between the two states. The available material does not establish responsibility for the firing.
The incident comes as both states continue efforts to address their long-running boundary dispute. Assam and Arunachal Pradesh share an 804.1-km boundary, with several areas remaining sensitive despite agreements aimed at resolving competing territorial claims.
2023 Assam-Arunachal Border Agreement
The boundary dispute has continued for decades, with disagreements involving villages and land along the inter-state boundary. The two states have pursued negotiations and institutional mechanisms to settle disputed areas through dialogue and demarcation.
In April 2023, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh signed an agreement aimed at resolving claims over 123 disputed villages. The agreement followed the 2022 Namsai Declaration, which had sought to narrow the areas requiring focused resolution.
The states subsequently continued discussions through regional committees. Several pockets, however, have remained sensitive, with local disputes over fencing, cultivation and land use periodically creating tensions.
