Guwahati / Dhemaji, August 19: A week after gunfire along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border left 11 people injured, tension continues to simmer in Dhemaji district. On Wednesday, members of Oikomoncho Dhemaji staged a two-hour sit-in at Mingmang-Bodoti, submitting a six-point charter of demands and warning of intensified agitation if their concerns are not addressed.
The protesters, drawn largely from the indigenous Mising community and local organisations, are seeking an increase in one-time financial assistance from the ₹2 lakh already announced by the Assam government to ₹5 lakh for each of the injured. They are also demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible for the firing, the removal of an alleged Arunachal Pradesh security camp said to have been set up inside Assam territory, and a time-bound resolution of the decades-old border dispute.
“It is unfortunate that the Arunachal security camp set up on Assam land has not yet been removed by the government. We want the miscreants responsible for the firing to be arrested. Eleven people were injured in the incident, and the one-time assistance announced by the government should be increased from ₹2 lakh to ₹5 lakh. If our demands are not met, we will intensify our protest,” one of the protesters told reporters.
The incident that triggered the current unrest took place on the morning of August 10 at Bodoti village under Ming Mang Gaon Panchayat in Dhemaji. According to police and local accounts, a dispute over alleged land encroachment escalated when a group from the Arunachal side opened fire on Assam residents. Eleven people sustained gunshot injuries; several were critically hurt and shifted to Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh. Eight of the injured remain under treatment, though doctors have said all are now out of danger.
Following the firing, the Assam government announced ₹2 lakh ex-gratia for each of the injured. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma spoke to his Arunachal counterpart Pema Khandu and sought a formal inquiry. On August 16 the state decided to establish its own security camp in the Mingmang-Bodoti area to prevent further encroachment and violence. Despite these steps, local organisations say no arrests have been made and the Arunachal camp continues to stand on what they claim is Assam soil.
The sit-in on Wednesday was peaceful but firm. Participants carried placards and raised slogans demanding justice and protection of indigenous land rights. Leaders of the protest urged the state government to act swiftly, arguing that delay only emboldens those responsible and deepens insecurity among border residents.
The Assam-Arunachal border has witnessed intermittent tension for years. The two states share an 804-km boundary, and several disputed pockets remain unresolved despite earlier rounds of talks and the 2023 Memorandum of Understanding aimed at settling differences. In recent weeks, the Assam government has indicated it will resume ministerial-level discussions with Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Nagaland to find permanent solutions.
For now, the situation in Dhemaji remains calm but fragile. Local residents continue to keep a close watch on the border, while the injured recover in hospital. The protesters have made it clear that the next phase of their agitation will depend on how quickly the administration responds to their demands.