The appearance of the signboard has reignited long-standing concerns over alleged encroachment in the Assam-Nagaland border belt.
Key Points
- A signboard naming a Nagaland village reportedly appeared inside Assam's Dimorujan village, triggering fresh border tensions in Uriamghat.
- Local residents alleged the move was aimed at strengthening territorial claims in the sensitive Assam-Nagaland border region.
- Student union leaders demanded immediate administrative intervention and intensified eviction drives against alleged encroachers in disputed border villages.
- Residents claimed rehabilitated families were being strategically resettled to alter demographic patterns and expand settlement presence gradually.
- The controversy follows repeated flashpoints and encroachment allegations reported from multiple Assam-Nagaland border areas in recent months.
Student union alleges fresh bid to assert territorial presence in Uriamghat
A fresh controversy has erupted along the Assam-Nagaland border after a signboard bearing the name of a Nagaland village was reportedly installed at Dimorujan village in the Uriamghat area of Assam's Golaghat district.
The incident has triggered tension in the sensitive border region, with local residents and student organisations alleging a renewed attempt to assert territorial claims inside Assam.
According to locals, a shop was recently opened in Dimorujan by Naga residents, with a signboard identifying the locality as 'Wochan Village' along with the address of a district in Nagaland.
The appearance of the signboard has reignited long-standing concerns over alleged encroachment in the Assam-Nagaland border belt.
Locals raise encroachment concerns
Residents of the area alleged that evicted settlers were being strategically rehabilitated to strengthen claims over disputed stretches of land.
Locals claimed that while two or three Naga families had been residing in the village for some time, tensions escalated after an evicted family was allegedly allowed to return and establish the shop carrying the 'Wochan Village' signboard.
Many residents interpreted the move as an attempt to create a visible territorial presence linked to Nagaland.
Student union demand immediate action
Reacting strongly to the development, Dhansiri Sub Division Students' Union President Bikash Bora said the organisation had urged the administration to intervene immediately.
"We strongly oppose this development and have appealed to the administration to take appropriate action," Bora said.
He alleged that certain families in Dimorujan were facilitating the rehabilitation of evicted persons and helping establish commercial structures under the name of a Nagaland village.
Bora also demanded that eviction drives be intensified in areas where encroachment cases were still pending.
"Eviction drives should also be carried out in villages where eviction processes are pending so that remaining encroachers can be removed from the area," he said.
Allegation of demographic expansion
The student leader further alleged that there was a broader attempt to alter the demographic pattern in the border region through resettlement and gradual expansion of settlements.
He urged both the district administration and the Sarupathar sub-divisional administration to take urgent measures before the situation escalates further.
Border areas witness repeated flashpoints
The latest controversy comes amid a series of tensions reported from the Assam-Nagaland border in recent months.
On April 5, tension had gripped the Mariani sector in Jorhat district after suspected Naga miscreants allegedly shot dead cattle at Naginijan Tea Estate. The cattle reportedly belonged to a local resident, and the attackers allegedly attempted to take them away after opening fire.
Border residents have repeatedly raised concerns over alleged encroachment in sensitive forest stretches such as Disoi, Disoi Valley, and Tiru Hills, areas that have witnessed disputes and tensions for decades.
Calls for swift administrative intervention
With the Dimorujan signboard episode adding fresh strain to an already sensitive border situation, local organisations and residents are demanding swift and decisive administrative action.
Officials have not yet issued any formal statement on the controversy, but residents fear the issue could trigger further tensions if left unresolved.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
