Deputy CM Y Patton details Mekirang-Neghrebil clashes, eviction stay and joint border measures; MLA flags ONGC survey in disputed belt
KOHIMA — Deputy Chief Minister in-charge of Home Y Patton on Thursday said the situation in Mekirang-Neghrebil area of the Nagaland-Assam Disputed Area Belt (DAB) is under control following confrontations reported on August 25 and 26.
Making a statement in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly, Patton said district authorities and border magistrates are coordinating with their Assam counterparts to prevent a recurrence and ensure the safety of Naga villages, settlements and residents in the disputed belt.
The matter was raised by MLA and Advisor Achumbemo Kikon under Rule 54, calling the attention of the House to issues of urgent public importance, including recent tensions in the area and concerns over oil exploration activities.
Patton said the confrontation on August 25 began after a vehicle carrying rubber saplings supplied by the Rubber Board of India was stopped at an Assam Forest department barricade while proceeding to Longayim village. The vehicle was reportedly prevented from using the road through the evicted site at Mekirang-Neghrebil.
According to the Deputy CM, the Longayim village council and villagers waiting to receive the saplings informed Assam Forest officials that the plants were meant for distribution and plantation at Longayim village, and not at the evicted site. However, a group of people from the Assam side gathered at the location, leading to a scuffle between the two groups.
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Border magistrates from Nagaland and Assam later reached the spot and jointly assessed the situation. After confirming that the saplings were not intended for plantation at the evicted site, the vehicle was allowed to proceed to Longayim, bringing the confrontation to an end.
On August 26, Patton said, a group of Mising people residing near the evicted site assembled at the Assam Forest department barricade and staged a protest. Village council chairmen from Longayim and Lio-Longchum, who were travelling through the area, allegedly encountered the protesters and were attacked amid accusations that they were responsible for the previous day’s confrontation.
The joint secretary of Lotha Lower Range Public Organisation (LLRPO), who was present at the site, was also allegedly assaulted. The crowd later dispersed after discussions with Assam government officials.
A team led by the deputy commissioner of Wokha, accompanied by the SP and SDPO of Wokha, ADC Bhandari and the border magistrate at Merapani, visited the evicted site and Sector D of the DAB on August 26. The team met village leaders from Mekirang, Longayim and Lio-Longchum, besides LLRPO representatives.
Those who were allegedly assaulted were advised to file a first information report, Patton said. An FIR was subsequently lodged at Bhandari Police Station on August 27.
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Villagers have also been asked to inform the district administration or border magistrate in advance of planned activities in the area, so that preventive measures and coordination with Assam authorities can be put in place.
Patton said the deputy commissioners of Wokha and Golaghat held a joint meeting at the 142 CRPF camp in Sector D, Merapani. During the meeting, the Wokha DC stressed that the movement of Naga villagers and the public should not be hindered, as the road serves as a lifeline for border villages.
The two sides agreed to activate the Border Level Peace Committee to strengthen coordination, maintain peace and prevent further confrontations.
Providing background, Patton said a joint eviction drive was conducted by Nagaland and Assam authorities at Neghrebil-Mekirang in Sector D, or the Doyang Reserve Forest, on August 8, 2025. Of the 205 households served eviction notices, 146 were evicted, while action against 59 households was withheld following a court stay.
The Golaghat district administration and Assam Forest department again served notices to the 59 households, asking them to vacate by August 18 this year. Patton said the Gauhati High Court, in an August 18 order, granted them a further 60 days to vacate the land.
He maintained that the land falls within the DAB, where Mekirang, Longayim and Lio-Longchum villages have a stake. He assured the House that the state government was treating the issue as a top priority and pursuing it with the Centre and Assam government.
Patton further said that eviction or plantation drives in the disputed belt should not be undertaken unilaterally, but through coordination between officials of Nagaland and Assam.
Raising the matter, Kikon expressed concern over alleged survey and proposed drilling-point identification activities by the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and other oil companies in the disputed belt. He said the state had entered into a tripartite memorandum of understanding with Assam and the government of India for the survey, exploration and extraction of crude oil and other minerals in the area.
He pointed out that civil society groups and Naga political groups had raised objections, while oil companies were allegedly moving freely in the Assam side of the disputed belt in search of drilling locations.
Kikon also said villagers were bearing the brunt of the unresolved boundary dispute and asked whether the Forest, Environment and Climate Change department had deployed forest guards along the disputed stretch.
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