Land dispute between two parties led to sworded fight in Arunachal, shots fired by police to unmount tension

A land-related dispute between two parties led to an armed clash between them. Sharp weapons were used including swords, cutlasses and sticks to attack each other in the fight. The fight turned violent and when the police from the local thana rushed to the spot, they had to open several rounds of blank fire. This didn’t end the fight, when the police tried to arrest these violent people, they didn’t even stop shoving and elbowing the police there. This incident happened in Krishnapur village under Arunachal Police Station last evening.

Last Sunday at around 3 in the evening, a two-way fight broke out between two parties over a plot of land of which both parties claim ownership. A plot of land in question is going through a legal battle over ownership and was waiting for a court verdict. In the meantime, one party allegedly sold the land to another villager and a third party got involved. According to Badrul Islam, a local villager there said, “The third party who bought the plot of land from the disputed owners came here today for the occupation of the land, but this enraged the other party and the disputed parties broke into a heated argument with sharp weapons and objects. When I along with some other villagers failed to control the mob, I rang the panchayat president to call the police and only after police intervention did this fight stop”.

The Gaon Panchayat President, Hifjur Rahman Barbhuiya of the Krishnapur Bhairabnagar GP said, “This land dispute has been in the court for a long time and one agricultural plot has been in question. Both parties claimed that it belonged to their ancestors and that is why the dispute. In between, one party sold this disputed plot and a third party got involved and tried to occupy the land they purchased. This led to tension and both parties broke into an armed fight. Later when I called the police, Arunachal Police Station’s OC rushed there to control the fight. But looking at the tension of the fight, he had to call for backup from Silchar and CRPF reached there”.

When the Arunachal OC Prashanta Kumar Das saw the matter going out of his hands, he shot three rounds in the air. This unmounted the tension and with the help of CRPF, the mob was brought to a rest. Six attackers who held weapons were arrested from the spot, which includes a female as well. A female police officer was allegedly shoved and elbowed when she tried to arrest the females involved in the sworded fight. The arrested were taken to the Arunachal Police Station for further procedure into the matter. Swords, daggers and other weapons from the fight were confiscated by the police.