Protesters attack police as two Indian states fight over territory
14 hours ago
An Indian army soldier points his gun at a man following violent protests at tension gripped Golaghat town in India’s northeastern Assam state, Thursday, Aug. 21, 2014. — Photo by AP
GUWAHATI: Thousands of protesters in the far-flung Indian state of Assam defied a curfew and attacked police in a fifth day of unrest over a territorial dispute with a neighbouring state.
Assam and the tiny state of Nagaland in northeastern India have been claiming tracts of land along the state limits since the creation of Nagaland more than four decades ago.
Clashes have periodically erupted between people living in villages straddling the two states.
The latest wave of violence has left at least 20 dead and forced thousands to flee their homes, officials said.
On Thursday, residents of Assam's worst-affected Golaghat district turned on the state police, saying it had failed to protect them from attacks by Naga tribesmen coming over the state borders.
Armed with stones and sticks, and even bows and arrows, demonstrators attacked policemen and vehicles, ignoring a dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed by the authorities in the district, about 300 km (180 miles) from Assam's main commercial city Guwahati.
“The situation in Assam is volatile and emotions are high among the people against the government for its failure to protect its people from Nagas,” said Akhil Gogoi, a protest leader in Guwahati.
India's mountainous northeast is home to dozens of ethnic groups, many of whom are campaigning for greater autonomy, statehood or even secession.
New Delhi has deployed troops for decades in the area which shares borders with China, Myanmar and Bangladesh. But critics say the northeast is a neglected corner of the country, and that federal politicians only turn their attention to it when there is an outbreak of violence.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, elected by a landslide in May, has appointed a former army chief as his minister for northeast affairs to help build border infrastructure and ramp up economic activity.
Police said the latest trouble began when Naga tribesmen attacked a village inside Assam last week, killing 15 people and burning their homes.
Five people were later killed in police firing to quell angry mobs, an official said. The federal government has rushed about 1,000 paramilitaries to the troubled border areas.
Protesters attack police as two Indian states fight over territory| Reuters
Assam-Nagaland border clashes: PM seeks report; MHA sends 1000 military personnel | The Indian Express
Violent territorial dispute flares in India's Assam state
August 21 2014
Police have fired into crowds of protestors in the northeastern Indian state of Assam. The latest wave of violence follows decades of friction over local borders.
Thousands of protestors in the northeastern Indian state of Assam defied a curfew on Thursday and attacked officers near the unstable border with its neighbor Nagaland.
Brandishing sticks, stones, and in some cases bows and arrows, residents of Assam's Golaghat district assaulted the state police on the grounds that the authorities had failed to defend them from the Nagas.
At least 20 people have died and 10,000 have fled their homes in five days of unrest, according to Indian officials.
"The situation in Assam is volatile and emotions are high among the people against the government for its failure," said Akhil Gogoi, a protest leader in Guwahati, Assam's main commercial city. Shops and businesses were closed in Golaghat town and a dusk-to-dawn curfew was put in place. This follows public outrage at police for shooting dead at least three protestors and injuring 14 others on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Assam Home Secretary G.D. Tripathy said the government suspended one policeman and had ordered an inquiry.
Long-running land dispute
Tensions have repeatedly erupted between the border villages since Nagaland's creation in 1963. Land disputes and different ethic groups' call for greater autonomy have led to conflict in the region. More than 100 people have died in related violence in the past forty years.
The most recent wave of fighting began last week when, according to police, Nagas killed 15 Assamese villagers and burned their homes. Groups in Assam retaliated by setting up road blockades to prevent necessary goods from entering Nagaland.
The Assamese launched widespread protests when police and paramilitary units were ordered to disperse the road blocks.
Government mediation
New Delhi has often deployed troops in India's northeast region, which borders China, Myanmar and Bangladesh, prompting critics to accuse politicians of neglecting the region except in times of conflict.
Recently elected Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose a former army leader for his minister of northeast affairs in an effort to bolster border infrastructure and increase economic activity in the area. Modi has called for a report on the violence from the chief ministers of Nagaland and Assam.
The thousands of displaced are living in relief camps. A federal official plans to visit Assam on Thursday for talks with authorities from both states. A futher 1,000 troops have been sent into the region to join the 15,000 already stationed in Golaghat district.
Violent territorial dispute flares in India′s Assam state | News | DW.DE | 21.08.2014
Protesters attack police as Assam, Nagaland fight over territory| Reuters
Assam and Nagaland have been claiming tracts of land along the state limits since the creation of Nagaland more than four decades ago.
Clashes have periodically erupted between people living in villages straddling the two states. The latest wave of violence has left at least 20 dead and forced thousands to flee their homes, officials said.
14 hours ago
An Indian army soldier points his gun at a man following violent protests at tension gripped Golaghat town in India’s northeastern Assam state, Thursday, Aug. 21, 2014. — Photo by AP
GUWAHATI: Thousands of protesters in the far-flung Indian state of Assam defied a curfew and attacked police in a fifth day of unrest over a territorial dispute with a neighbouring state.
Assam and the tiny state of Nagaland in northeastern India have been claiming tracts of land along the state limits since the creation of Nagaland more than four decades ago.
Clashes have periodically erupted between people living in villages straddling the two states.
The latest wave of violence has left at least 20 dead and forced thousands to flee their homes, officials said.
On Thursday, residents of Assam's worst-affected Golaghat district turned on the state police, saying it had failed to protect them from attacks by Naga tribesmen coming over the state borders.
Armed with stones and sticks, and even bows and arrows, demonstrators attacked policemen and vehicles, ignoring a dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed by the authorities in the district, about 300 km (180 miles) from Assam's main commercial city Guwahati.
“The situation in Assam is volatile and emotions are high among the people against the government for its failure to protect its people from Nagas,” said Akhil Gogoi, a protest leader in Guwahati.
India's mountainous northeast is home to dozens of ethnic groups, many of whom are campaigning for greater autonomy, statehood or even secession.
New Delhi has deployed troops for decades in the area which shares borders with China, Myanmar and Bangladesh. But critics say the northeast is a neglected corner of the country, and that federal politicians only turn their attention to it when there is an outbreak of violence.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, elected by a landslide in May, has appointed a former army chief as his minister for northeast affairs to help build border infrastructure and ramp up economic activity.
Police said the latest trouble began when Naga tribesmen attacked a village inside Assam last week, killing 15 people and burning their homes.
Five people were later killed in police firing to quell angry mobs, an official said. The federal government has rushed about 1,000 paramilitaries to the troubled border areas.
Protesters attack police as two Indian states fight over territory| Reuters
Assam-Nagaland border clashes: PM seeks report; MHA sends 1000 military personnel | The Indian Express
Violent territorial dispute flares in India's Assam state
August 21 2014
Police have fired into crowds of protestors in the northeastern Indian state of Assam. The latest wave of violence follows decades of friction over local borders.
Thousands of protestors in the northeastern Indian state of Assam defied a curfew on Thursday and attacked officers near the unstable border with its neighbor Nagaland.
Brandishing sticks, stones, and in some cases bows and arrows, residents of Assam's Golaghat district assaulted the state police on the grounds that the authorities had failed to defend them from the Nagas.
At least 20 people have died and 10,000 have fled their homes in five days of unrest, according to Indian officials.
"The situation in Assam is volatile and emotions are high among the people against the government for its failure," said Akhil Gogoi, a protest leader in Guwahati, Assam's main commercial city. Shops and businesses were closed in Golaghat town and a dusk-to-dawn curfew was put in place. This follows public outrage at police for shooting dead at least three protestors and injuring 14 others on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Assam Home Secretary G.D. Tripathy said the government suspended one policeman and had ordered an inquiry.
Long-running land dispute
Tensions have repeatedly erupted between the border villages since Nagaland's creation in 1963. Land disputes and different ethic groups' call for greater autonomy have led to conflict in the region. More than 100 people have died in related violence in the past forty years.
The most recent wave of fighting began last week when, according to police, Nagas killed 15 Assamese villagers and burned their homes. Groups in Assam retaliated by setting up road blockades to prevent necessary goods from entering Nagaland.
The Assamese launched widespread protests when police and paramilitary units were ordered to disperse the road blocks.
Government mediation
New Delhi has often deployed troops in India's northeast region, which borders China, Myanmar and Bangladesh, prompting critics to accuse politicians of neglecting the region except in times of conflict.
Recently elected Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose a former army leader for his minister of northeast affairs in an effort to bolster border infrastructure and increase economic activity in the area. Modi has called for a report on the violence from the chief ministers of Nagaland and Assam.
The thousands of displaced are living in relief camps. A federal official plans to visit Assam on Thursday for talks with authorities from both states. A futher 1,000 troops have been sent into the region to join the 15,000 already stationed in Golaghat district.
Violent territorial dispute flares in India′s Assam state | News | DW.DE | 21.08.2014
Protesters attack police as Assam, Nagaland fight over territory| Reuters
Assam and Nagaland have been claiming tracts of land along the state limits since the creation of Nagaland more than four decades ago.
Clashes have periodically erupted between people living in villages straddling the two states. The latest wave of violence has left at least 20 dead and forced thousands to flee their homes, officials said.
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