GUWAHATI — At least 18 people were injured, four critically, after unidentified men opened fire during a confrontation along the disputed Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border in Assam’s Dhemaji district, authorities said on Tuesday, in a fresh flare-up over competing land claims.
The firing took place on Monday morning at Mingmang Badati in the Gogamukh revenue circle, according to Assam police. Preliminary information indicated the confrontation followed a dispute over alleged encroachment of land claimed by Assam, a senior police officer said.
The injured were initially taken to Gogamukh Rural Hospital. Seven were later referred to Dhemaji Civil Hospital, while four were subsequently shifted to Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh for advanced treatment, officials said.
The identities and affiliations of those who opened fire were not independently established in the reports available. Police described the assailants as unidentified and said the shooting occurred from the Arunachal Pradesh side of the border.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said police reinforcements had reached the area and called for de-escalation. He said the chief secretaries and directors general of police of the two states were coordinating to ease tensions and determine those responsible.
“Assam Police reinforcement has reached the location. We need to de-escalate the situation and find out the perpetrators,” Sarma said, according to local media reports. He later said the incident was localized and that the situation had been brought under control.
Sarma also said Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu had been assigned to engage with the Arunachal Pradesh government over the immediate dispute, while senior officials from both states remained in contact.
The latest violence comes against the backdrop of a long-running boundary dispute between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, which share an 804-km border. The territorial disagreement dates back decades and remains subject to legal and administrative processes, although the two governments have pursued negotiations aimed at resolving contested areas.
Officials said security had been strengthened in the affected area. By Monday evening, Assam authorities said the immediate tension had been defused, while discussions between the two state governments continued.
