Guwahati: The Assam govt on Wednesday told the assembly that suspected members of the NSCN (Nikki) allegedly attempted to collect ‘house tax’ and ‘census tax’ from villagers in Golaghat district along the inter-state border with Nagaland, but said no money was ultimately collected.Replying to a discussion, parliamentary affairs minister Pijush Hazarika said two persons from Hukai Basti in Nagaland’s Niuland district entered Rajapukhuri villages under Uriamghat police station in Golaghat district on June 23 and distributed letters to village headmen, directing them to collect Rs 110 from every household, according to a statement by the state govt.The letters purportedly sought ‘house tax and census tax’ in the name of NSCN (Nikki), a faction headed by Nikki Sumi that broke away from the Khango Konyak-led NSCN (K) in 2019 and has been under a ceasefire agreement with the Centre since Sept 2021.The minister said police have identified the two accused, who remain at large. The matter has been taken up with the CRPF, neutral security forces and the border magistrate at Sarupathar, while search operations, patrolling and surveillance have been intensified along the inter-state border.The alleged use of the outfit’s name for tax collection is significant as extortion is prohibited under the ceasefire ground rules governing Naga insurgent groups in truce with the govt.Hazarika, however, cautioned against linking the incident to the Naga community or the Nagaland govt, saying it would be unfair to hold an entire community responsible for the actions of a few anti-social elements. He urged people to avoid generalisations that could strain the longstanding cordial relations between Assam and Nagaland.He informed the House that, according to the latest reports, no money had actually been collected from the villagers and the situation in the area remained peaceful.
