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Dimapur, May 29 (EMN): The United Naga Tribes Association on Border Areas (Untaba) has demanded immediate investigation on the high-handed actions of one Rupjyoti Kurmi, MLA of Mariani AC, and affix appropriate responsibility so as to prevent such unwarranted incidents, while it also urged the Nagaland government to immediately initiate appropriate steps to review the ‘Interim Agreement’ of 1979 between the two states on the boundary issue.
Untaba has denied the news of purported skirmish in the border between Assam and Nagaland as carried by many news agencies of Assam and others through electronic and print media including visual and social media saying it was far from what had actually happened.
On the contrary, Untaba has termed it as the handiwork of Rupjyoti Kurmi, who crossed the boundary by more than three km and entered the vicinity of Vikuto village well inside Nagaland. It accused the MLA of forcibly stopping the villagers from continuing their normal cultivation works and also destroyed their Areca nut and other crops.
“When the villagers objected to this high-handed behaviour, the armed Assam police personnel who were brought by the MLA besides his PSO started shooting while they were leaving. The villagers fired two shots from a muzzle-loading gun well after the entourage left,” Untaba chairman Hukavi T Yeputhomi , and the general secretary Imsumongba Pongen stated.
Untaba claimed that it was not the first time that Rupjyoti Kurmi had deliberately provoked a situation like that in the border areas. It has described him as a cheap attention seeking MLA who has a habit of stirring-up people’s emotions so as to create animosity between the people living peacefully in the border area of the two states.
Stating that the boundary issue between the two states is still pending in the Supreme Court of India thereby making the issue sub judice, Untaba stated that the likes of MLA Kurmi have no business to involve themselves in except to further his vested personal interests.
Secondly, to prevent any untoward incidents in the border areas, Untaba pointed out that there are neutral forces (CRPF) to maintain peace and tranquillity based on the ‘Interim Agreement’ of 1979 between the two states. It, therefore, stated that nobody has the right or power to dictate and instigate and create skirmishes in the border areas.
Meanwhile, Untaba has advised the news agencies of print, electronic and visual media based in Assam need to immediately stop the biased, fictitious and vested interest news reporting and issue necessary corrigendum failing which it has warned of inviting legal courses of action.