Monday Musing
[ Amar Sangno ]
A boundary dispute turned into a violent clash between the natives of Hime village in Kangku circle of Lower Siang district and Bodoti village of Assam, resulting in bullet injuries to various individuals on 10 August, 2026.
This has once again reopened old wounds from previous boundary clashes. Ever since Arunachal attained union territory status in 1972 and statehood in 1987, Arunachal and Assam have always drawn swords against each other, claiming the territory.
Kangku circle in particular has always been a flashpoint of boundary dispute since the state's inception. There were flurries of boundary skirmishes recorded in the Kangku area since the 1960s.
1960s: The Ngopi village incident
A minor monetary dispute escalated into armed aggression by people from Assam. It was reported that, in order to defend their ancestral lands, Ngopi villagers were forced to retaliate, resulting in casualties. Later, several elders who participated were stigmatised and reportedly had to live in isolation for the rest of their lives.
The old scar was rubbed again in 1977 during eviction drives in Durpai and Champak Chojo, where the villages were forcibly evicted using elephants under the guise of forest clearance, in connivance with the Assam Forest Department and police.
It was reported that two young boys attempting to report the matter to the Likabali police station were intercepted at Nilok and brutally beaten to near death; they were later rescued and admitted with grievous injuries.
The incident later escalated into a full-scale armed conflict, followed by the imposition of prolonged economic blockades by the Assam counterpart.
In the year 1987, five villages - Siloni, Tora Kan, Rate, New Hime and Masi - were set ablaze by miscreants, allegedly from Assam, triggering a full-scale armed conflict. Many sustained bullet injuries, while some lost their lives. The then deputy commissioner of West Siang, Tabom Bam, personally trekked across the circle to assess the devastation and distribute relief materials.
The conflict continued as mass land grabbing incident in Kangku and Balisori occurred in 1996, and the villagers' land was forcibly seized under the protection of the Assam Police, leaving them without a single agricultural plot. It is claimed that in 1996, Kangku village, where the circle headquarters of Kangku circle is situated, lost more than 500 acres of agricultural land belonging to Kangku and Balisori villages.
The villagers claimed that the land was illegally occupied and distributed to Assamese settlers at gunpoint by the Assam Police.
The circle also faces frequent road and economic blockades imposed by groups from Assam, sometimes on the flimsiest of pretexts. It is alleged that even a child's quarrel has turned into a boundary conflict, leaving locals in constant fear and uncertainty.
It is also reported that on 26 January, 2022, a serious confrontation occurred in connection with the construction of a PMGSY culvert in Hime village. A large mob, allegedly led by one Sanga Lagasu, entered Hime village and set fire to a culvert that was under construction.
The incident subsequently escalated into an armed confrontation between people from both sides. In August 2025, more than 500 people from Bodoti village allegedly entered Hime village and erected concrete posts on disputed grazing land. Later, it was resolved through peaceful dialogue and subsequently the concrete posts were dismantled.
Hime village is among the 86 villages placed before the regional committee for boundary settlement for adjustment and realignment as mentioned in the memorandum of understanding signed by Arunachal Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on 20 April, 2023.
"The six villages - New Mingmang, Hime, New Hime, Germe, Rate and Siloni Adi - are to be realigned suitably, segregating the habitations of the people of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, as per the map prepared, exchanged and mutually agreed upon by the regional committees," the MoU reads.
Economic blockades are being used as a tool by various Assam-based organisations and individuals to achieve their objectives when it comes to boundary dispute skirmishes, road mishaps involving motor vehicles, and sometime even in isolated incidents. Needless to say, the casualties have always been the Arunachalis and the Nagas, who share a significant length of boundary with Assam.
The recent economic blockade imposed by the Takam Mising Porin Kebang (TMPK) against Arunachal, in reaction to the boundary dispute-related firing incident in Hime village, was just a relic of past tactics. The question is, how long will the people of Kangku and other foothill areas have to suffer? Why can't we live peacefully as brothers? This is possible only when both sides stop encroaching on land.
It is said that the only way to get rid of the economic blockade tactic used by Assam-based organisations against Arunachal is to have a hassle-free national highway along the foothills without touching Assam. The proposed East-West Industrial Corridor, with a total length of 966.78 kilometres, may liberate us from day-to-day economic blockades. It is hoped that political will shall prevail in the days to come to ensure a hassle-free and all-season highway, till the boundary dispute is permanently resolved.