In Lower Siang district boundary dispute sparks protest

Likabali: Hundreds of residents from Durpai, Champak Chojo, and Sogam villages in Lower Siang district gathered under the banner of Durpai Youth Welfare Association, demanding the authorities to review the implementation of the looping system in Assam Arunachal border issue.
Displaying banners and chanting slogans, people thronged the DC office and demanded Chief Minister Pema Khandu to withdraw the decision that included the allotment of nearly 60 square kilometers of land from Durapi village to Assam, through the looping system.
Speaking to the media, the President of Durpai Village Development Committee left no room for ambiguity as he strongly rejected any proposal to give even an inch of his native land to Assam.
“We are categorically opposed to being made sacrificial lambs in the quest to settle the boundary issue out of court. Our firm demand is to preserve the principle as it was,” he said.
He emphasized the historical and economic importance of land, which has been passed down from generation to generation and is the basis of their livelihood. Consequently, any compromise was considered unacceptable.
A formal memorandum outlining their demands was submitted to the state government through DC Lower Siang.
These demands include immediate withdrawal of loop mapping affecting Durapi, Champak Chajo and Sogam villages, cancellation of the recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the Chief Ministers of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh and both Includes an immediate site visit. Chief Ministers review the situation in the border areas with firm determination to maintain the status quo.
The villagers issued a stern warning, intending to march on foot from their village to Itanagar. Further, they vowed to start hunger strike and protests outside Raj Bhavan and Secretariat/CM residence if their demands are not addressed soon.
Another youth leader, drawing attention to the gravity of the situation, warned that the government’s failure to heed the plea of ​​the villagers could lead to more civil strife than the ongoing crisis in Manipur.
Advocate and people’s leader Iken Tao, speaking to the media, revealed plans to initiate legal proceedings in the Supreme Court, challenging the loop map system, which, he believes, is depriving villagers of their ancestral lands. Violates the legitimate claims of