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Kiren Rijiju to visit violence-hit Golaghat today

by IBNS 21 Aug 2014, 07:50 am

New Delhi, Aug 21 (IBNS): Union minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju is scheduled to visit trouble-torn Golaghat district of Assam to take stock of the situation on Thursday.

The junior home minister will also meet chief ministers of both states in Guwahati.

“We have already sent additional forces as demanded by the state government. Now it is for the state government to use to forces. We are here to assist them,” Rijiju said before leaving for Guwahati.

He said the Assam-Nagaland border dispute issue is matter to resolve between two state governments and the Centre has to see.

Violence-hit Golaghat remained totally shut on Thursday.

A large part of Assam-Nagaland border area in Golaghat remained tense following an ugly turf battle that took place on Tuesday with Assamese protesters staging blockades on the highway that leads to Nagaland.

The police had resorted to baton charge to disperse the irate crowd during which at least one person was run over by a truck and 21 people were injured. The police personnel had also opened a few rounds of fire as batons and tear gas shells yielded no result.

Police, however, said no one received any bullet injury in the firing.

Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi and his Nagaland counterpart TR Zeliang on Thursday are also slated to discuss the border issue that dates back to about 50 years ever since Nagaland achieved statehood. Since then both the neighbouring north-eastern states have been busy accusing the other of encroachment despite mediation by the Supreme Court.