GUWAHATI: At least 18 Assamese villagers were injured, four of them critically after unidentified miscreants from Arunachal Pradesh opened fire in Assam’s Dhemaji district on Monday.
The incident which reportedly stemmed which reportedly stemmed from a dispute over alleged encroachment in the border area, took place at Mingmang Basti, where a confrontation escalated into firing.
Four of the critically injured were admitted to the Assam Medical College Hospital in Dibrugarh. Others were undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Dhemaji. Most of them sustained injuries in their legs.
According to an injured person, “They called us for a meeting to iron out differences but fired at us instead."
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed concern over the incident. He said the chief secretaries of the two states had held discussions, while the Assam Director General of Police is also cordinating to de-escalate tensions.
“We will investigate to find out who is responsible. Action has to be taken. I have instructed the Assam Police to ensure that we do not have to cede our land anywhere for any reason,” he added.