Assam-Nagaland Border Dispute
Kartavya Desk Staff
Source: TH
Context: The Assam–Nagaland border flared up after armed miscreants allegedly from Nagaland torched nearly 100 houses in a minority-dominated village in the disputed B Sector of Golaghat district, Assam.
About Assam–Nagaland Border Dispute:
What it is?
• The Assam–Nagaland border dispute revolves around territorial claims made by Nagaland over parts of Assam’s Golaghat, Jorhat, and Sivasagar districts, especially in the Disputed Area Belt (DAB)—a stretch of reserved forests and forest land.
• Both states claim ownership, while the CRPF has been deployed as a neutral force since 1979.
Historical Background:
• Colonial demarcations (1826–1925): Post-Treaty of Yandabo (1826), British created Naga Hills District (1866). Subsequent notifications redefined boundaries without consulting Nagas.
• Post-Independence tensions (1947–1963): Nagas declared independence in 1947; later, the Naga Hills–Tuensang Area Act (1957) and Nagaland State Act (1962) formalized Nagaland’s statehood but without a clear boundary settlement.
• Commissions & Agreements: Sundaram Commission (1972): led to four Interim Agreements to maintain status quo. Shastri Commission (1985), J.K. Pillai Commission (1997), Variava & Chatterjee Commissions (2006) attempted boundary resolution but failed.
• Sundaram Commission (1972): led to four Interim Agreements to maintain status quo.
• Shastri Commission (1985), J.K. Pillai Commission (1997), Variava & Chatterjee Commissions (2006) attempted boundary resolution but failed.
About Disputed Area Belt:
The border dispute centers on the territorial claims of Nagaland over significant tracts of land that legally fall within the administrative boundaries of Assam.
• Disputed Area Belt (DAB): The conflict is concentrated in the Disputed Area Belt (DAB)—forest land (Reserved Forests) that runs along the 512.1 km inter-state boundary, primarily spanning Assam’s Golaghat, Jorhat, Sivasagar, and Karbi Anglong districts.
• The Claim: Assam maintains the constitutional boundary as defined at the time of Nagaland’s statehood in 1963. Nagaland, however, insists on a boundary based on historical pre-colonial or colonial agreements (like the 16-Point Agreement of 1960), which would involve the “restoration” of Naga ancestral territories transferred out of the Naga Hills district by the British for administrative convenience. Assam alleges that Nagaland has encroached upon over 60,000 hectares of its territory in the DAB.
• Assam maintains the constitutional boundary as defined at the time of Nagaland’s statehood in 1963.
• Nagaland, however, insists on a boundary based on historical pre-colonial or colonial agreements (like the 16-Point Agreement of 1960), which would involve the “restoration” of Naga ancestral territories transferred out of the Naga Hills district by the British for administrative convenience.
• Assam alleges that Nagaland has encroached upon over 60,000 hectares of its territory in the DAB.