Nagaland CM resents Assam’s border steps

The Chief Minister of Nagaland, Mr. T.N. Angami, has expressed grave concern at the reported deployment of armed village defence personnel by the Assam Government along the disputed Assam-Nagaland boundary, and “the indiscriminate mass arrest of Nagas by the Assam Government authorities.” In a telegram to the Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi and the Chief Minister of Assam, Mr, B.P. Chaliha yesterday [April 19], Mr. Angami has described these as “acts of discrimination against a particular race in India.” “Such discrimination”, he said, “had led to high tension among the Nagas generally and is bound to jeopardise the traditionally friendly and brotherly relationship between the two sister States.” Mr. Angami has urged the Assam Chief Minister to issue necessary instructions to the officers of the Assam Government posted along the Nagaland-Assam boundary to adopt a more cautious and sober attitude “in order to avoid serious repercussions”. Mr. Angami has also reiterated his demand for the setting up of a boundary commission by the Government of India to solve the boundary dispute between the two States. A spokesman of the Nagaland Government said that there had been systematic encroachment upon Nagaland territory from the Assam side. The trouble was further intensified by the Assam Government alerting the security forces and even the army which he claimed had set up a mud pill-box at Namtola checkpost in Assam, opposite Namsoi checkpost in Nagaland. Meanwhile, the Finance Minister of Nagaland, Mr. Hokishe Sema, has described as “absolutely baseless and unfounded” the propaganda in a section of the Press of collusion between the State Government and the underground Nagas on the Nagaland-Assam boundary issue. In a Press statement issued here [Kohima] yesterday [April 18], Mr. Sema said: “Wrong versions and exaggerated reports have recently appeared in the newspapers about the border dispute between Nagaland and Assam, and I thought the correct position of the Nagaland Government should be explained.”