The Assam-Nagaland boundary dispute is a prolonged territorial conflict in the northeastern region, with significant tensions manifesting in Assam's Sivasagar and Jorhat districts. Originating from Nagaland's formation as a separate state in 1963, the dispute centres around competing claims over land, particularly in resource-rich areas like Sivasagar, known for its oil and tea production. Assam alleges that Nagaland has encroached on nearly 60,000 hectares of its territory, including parts of Sivasagar, while Nagaland defends its claims based on historical pre-colonial boundaries.
The boundary dispute has resulted in frequent clashes in areas of Sivasagar bordering Nagaland. In 2023, construction activities undertaken by Naga residents on land claimed by Assam in Sivasagar sparked outrage. This prompted Assam's Opposition leader, Debabrata Saikia, to call for intervention from the state's Chief Secretary and Director General of Police.
Tensions also spilt over into adjacent regions like Mariani, near Sivasagar, where Naga encroachers reportedly threatened Assam forest officials in February 2023, escalating local unrest. Similarly, in January 2025, a related incident in Jorhat’s Rajabari village saw a resident, Santosh Karmakar, and his family forced to flee after threats from Naga individuals, underscoring the human toll of the conflict. Three months later, in April 2025, miscreants from across the border at night and launched another assault on Rajabari village, destroying bamboo fences, firing shots, and physically assaulting villagers. Four residents, namely Bikram Pradhan, Joydeep Patar Tanti, Akash Patar Tanti, and Sanjeet Patar Tanti, were abducted during the attack. After being taken, the abducted individuals were reportedly forced to sign blank papers before being released.
The dispute has severely affected Sivasagar and Jorhat's fringe state-border population like in Seujpur-Bihubor village, Geleki and Tuli region along with multiple areas like Seleng Hat in the Jorhat district. Encroachment and threats have affected families, disrupted livelihoods, and created an atmosphere of chaos and fear. The region’s economic activities, particularly tea and oil production, face challenges due to contested land ownership.
Efforts to resolve the disputes have met with limited success. In December 2023, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio met Union Home Minister Amit Shah to negotiate a solution, but no permanent resolution emerged. Assam has sought central intervention, including Supreme Court involvement, to demarcate the boundary, while Nagaland insists on recognising its historical claims. The deadlock persists, leaving Sivasagar and other upper Assam districts vulnerable to ongoing tensions.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources
Demand for legal recognition of land rights
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
1) Demand for the cessation of illegal construction and resolution of the land ownership dispute; 2) Demand for intervention, security measures for DAB villagers against land encroachment, threats and intimidation; 3) Demand to set up the border outposts along the Nagaland border
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Common and Private
Forest and Non-Forest
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Other Natural Resource extraction/dependence, Agricultural land, Residential area
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
Type of investment:
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
No
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Lack of legal protection over land rights
Land record discrepancies
Legal Status:
In Court
Status of Case In Court
Pending
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
No
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Supreme Court of India
Case Number
Original Suit No. 2/1988
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Other harassment
Raid/break-in/theft
Physical attack
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
When Assam Forest Department officials went to an encroached site, the Naga miscreants thwarted the officials with sticks and weapons. As per source, Mariani Regional Forest Officer, Animesh Kalita, who went to inspect the site, even fled the scene after being threatened by the Nagas.
Date of Violation
February 10, 2023
Location of Violation
Naginijan area
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Assam Police; Forest Department; State governments of Assam and Nagaland.
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
