In yet another tragic incident over land dispute, two persons from the Sumi community have succumbed to their injuries while three individuals from the same community are in critical condition, as per reliable sources.
Sources informed that volunteers numbering in hundreds from the Sumi community stormed into Lamhainamdi village today around 10:30am and started burning the village. The IRB (Nagaland Armed Police) were already deployed in the area on 6 November following an intelligence report.
It has been learnt that while trying to control the situation, the former party retaliated which resorted to firing from the Nagaland Armed Police and the volunteers, in which many individuals from the Sumi community reportedly sustained injuries.
As the incident was reported, the district administration swung into action to take stock of the situation and the situation is said to be under control now and more reinforcement has been deployed in the area by evening.
It may be mentioned that in March 2021 at least three people were killed and two vehicles burnt down by unknown assailants along the disputed border area between Peren and Chümoukedima districts at Lamhainamdi. The total toll from this conflict has now risen to five after today’s incident.
The land dispute between the Sumi and Zeliangrong tribes started in the year 2019 with both communities claiming Lamhainamdi village.
The Chümoukedima-Peren border area is a disputed territory inhabited by different Naga tribes on each side of the border. The two major tribes are the Sumis in Chümoukedima and the Zeliangrong community (representative of the three Naga tribes of Zeme, Liangmai and Rongmei) in Peren district.
In a communique issued in June 2019 by the Nagaland Home Department, Principal Secretary Abhijit Sinha noted that the disputed land has been the cause of friction between the two tribal communities – Sumi and Zeme and that the endless vigilance of local authorities has helped keep possible flareups at bay. In the communique, Sinha urged people in the disputed area to restrain from engaging in any unruly behaviour.
Invoking the ties of Naga unity, the government also appealed to the respective tribe leaders to maintain peace in the area. But two months later, on 6 September 2019, unidentified gunmen stormed Lamhainamdi village, located on the border of the two districts, and opened indiscriminate firing.
Following the attack, Deputy Chief Minister Y. Patton constituted a Cabinet Sub Committee to resolve the dispute amicably while also undertaking measures to demarcate the entire district boundary.
He called for an immediate status quo in the disputed area, alongside a halt to all infrastructure and development related activities. The Sub Committee visited the disputed area and interacted with the communities later in the same month.
Lamhainamdi is a proposed village under the Peren district of Nagaland, but there has been no proper demarcation of its boundary between the Peren and Chümoukedima district and hence, the dispute.
Meanwhile the Sumi Hoho on Monday evening blamed the state government’s “lackadaisical attitude” for the unfortunate incident in evicting the Lamhaindi village where several people were injured. It added that such incident could have been averted had the government “reciprocated to the appeal” made by several organisations.
The Hoho urged the government to send adequate security forces in the disturbed areas to protect the neighbouring villages and further appealed for immediate support for the unarmed and injured victims.
Moreover, the Sumi Hoho appealed to all to “stay calm and refrain from any unwanted activities” that may escalate the situation.
