Arunachal encroachers misbehave with Assam DFO, hold up forest officials

A CORRESPONDENT

LAKHIMPUR: The Assam-Arunachal Inter-State border disputes took an alarming twist in the Lakhimpur district on Saturday.

A section of encroachers from across the border misbehaved with the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Lakhimpur at Dhemagar under Ranga Reserve Forest under the district along the Assam-Arunachal border. Further, the encroachers held up a team of forest officials, including the DFO, on the spot for more than one-and-a-half hours.

As per reports, Lakhimpur DFO Ashok Dev Choudhury, accompanied by Range Officer Gunajit Talukdar and other forest officials, went to the Reserve Forest and arrived at Dhemagar to inspect and survey the alignment of a power grid line constructed by the NHPC. The DFO observed that some people from Arunachal Pradesh were constructing a road on Assam land belonging to the Lakhimpur district. The DFO ordered them to stop their work and to leave the place. Soon a group of youths, who claimed to be members of a student organization of the neighbouring State, arrived at the spot and started to misbehave with the DFO arguing with him. They misbehaved with him and snatched away his I-card. They held up the team of forest officials for more than one hour and a half. They even snatched away the rifle from the security personnel of the DFO. They also took away the mobile phone of the DFO when he attempted to call a high-level forest officer. However, the DFO managed to inform him of the situation there.

Later, a large troop of police personnel from North Lakhimpur arrived at the spot and rescued the DFO and other forest officials. The encroachers tore the uniform of a forest guard.

Many organizations have reacted to the incident strongly. The local body of Asomiya Yuva Mancha (AYM) demanded the governments of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh arrest the people behind the unexpected incident by initiating immediate legal action against them.

"The act of misbehaving an officer of the rank of DFO by a section of aggressors across the border means challenging the district administration. We demand the State Government take immediate action against the encroachers," a leader of the organization stated.

They resented the State Government's lackadaisical attitude towards resolving the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border disputes in the Lakhimpur district.

Also Read: Section of Lumding Forest Encroachers Remain Defiant, Says We Will Not Leave Our Place

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