Our Correspondent
Kohima, July 31 (EMN): In a major breakthrough towards de-escalating tensions that have been prevailing in the Nagaland-Assam border, the governments of the two states have agreed to withdraw its security forces from the current location in the next 24 hours.
An agreement was signed to this effect on Saturday by the chief secretaries of the two states in the presence of Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister and Home minister Y Patton and Minister Ranoj Pegu from Assam, during a meeting held at Police Complex in Chümoukedima, Dimapur.
The meeting was called with an aim to defuse the tense situation prevailing at two locations -- Dessoi Valley Reserved Forest / Tsurangkong valley -- due to the stand-off between the armed security forces of Nagaland and Assam.
“Both sides agreed that in order to maintain peace and tranquillity in the areas around Ao Senden village and Vikuto Village as they are known in Nagaland, and known as Jankhona Nala / Nagajankha (26°36/52.9’’N 94°22'27.3’’E) and Compartment No. 12(26°34'33.7"N 94°19105.9"E) respectively in Assam, urgent and effective steps are required for defusing the stand-off between the security forces of Nagaland and Assam,” read the minutes of the meeting issued by Nagaland Chief Secretary J Alam and his Assamese counterpart Jishnu Barua.
It was decided that the security personnel of both states would simultaneously move back from their present locations to their respective base camps.
“The simultaneous withdrawal of the security personnel shall begin immediately and shall be completed in the next 24 hours as far as possible,” read the statement, adding that superintendents of police of Mokokchung and Jorhat would ensure orderly withdrawal of their respective forces and would be responsible for it in the instant case.
Meanwhile, it maintained that Nagaland and Assam would “monitor the area by surveillance using UAV and satellite imagery with a view to maintain the status quo”.
In the aftermath of the development, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma lauded the move on Twitter.
It may be mentioned that Y Patton, who also holds the portfolio of Home, undertook an aerial survey of the border area and conducted a meeting in Mokokchung district on Friday.