A fresh clash broke out along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border in Assam’s Dhemaji district on Thursday, prompting Arunachal Pradesh police to fire three rounds in the air to disperse a mob as an indefinite economic blockade against the neighbouring state entered its second day.
The confrontation occurred at the Likabali entry point in Silapathar, where protesters from Assam were enforcing the blockade called by the Takam Mising Porin Kebang (TMPK) and other local groups.
"When the blockade was going on, some people from Arunachal Pradesh indulged in stone pelting on protesters from Assam, and some persons sustained minor injuries. This led to a scuffle between the two sides," an official said.
"Then we saw that police from Arunachal fired three rounds in the air to control the mob on their side," the Assam government official said.
The blockade was launched on Wednesday after 12 people from Assam were allegedly injured in firing by miscreants from Arunachal Pradesh along the inter-state border over land encroachment issues.
The TMPK, along with the Mising Mimag Kebang (MMK) and Takam Mising Mahila Kebang (TMMK), has stopped vehicles travelling to and from Arunachal Pradesh through the entry points, allowing only emergency and school transportation.
The groups are demanding an early settlement of the long-standing Assam-Arunachal border dispute, action against those allegedly involved in the firing and an end to encroachment on Assam land.
(With inputs from PTI)