The Jorhat district administration is maintaining a vigil along the Assam-Nagaland border where tension erupted after the shooting of Mariani MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi on Thursday from across the border in Nagaland.
Kurmi has withdrawn the indefinite hunger strike he had resorted to from 1pm near the border on Friday in protest against the shooting and alleged encroachment of Assam land by Nagaland.
The Congress MLA along with few security personnel and reporters had gone to verify reports of encroachment carried out by Nagaland people at Balijan Pahar area atop a hillock by burning a large portion of the Dissoi Valley Reserve Forest and planting betel nut and banana trees.
The Mariani MLA said that he had temporarily withdrawn the indefinite fast after 8 pm on Friday after the Assam Border Areas Development Minister Atul Bora called him and assured that the Government would be doing the needful to clear the encroachment after holding two rounds of talks with Nagaland.
He said that the Minister had also urged him to call off the fast taking into consideration the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic situation.
“I also received a letter from Jorhat Deputy Commissioner Ashok Kumar Barman requesting me to call off the fast and informing me that Government was taking all necessary measures to deal with the matter,” Kurmi said.
The Deputy Commissioner said that the district administration was in touch with Mokokchung district administration to finalise the date and venue for the proposed DC-SP level talks between the two districts of the neighbouring states to discuss about the present problem.