Jorhat, Dec. 24: The All Assam Students? Union (AASU) has threatened to call an economic blockade against Nagaland if Dispur failed to initiate steps to dismantle a police checkpost of the neighbouring state at New Sunthia near Mariani in Jorhat district.

The president of the AASU?s Jorhat unit, Biren Saikia, and secretary Simanta Gogoi issued a statement, saying it was unfortunate that the state government remained a mute spectator to the fact that Nagaland had set up a border outpost on land owned by Assam.

?Assamese people have to take permission from Nagaland police to cross over to the other side of the checkpost that is very much in Assam land,? states the communiqu?.

The Assam-Nagaland border is nearly 13km away from the checkpost.

The students? union said it would call an economic blockade against Nagaland if the police checkpost was not dismantled.

The blockade, if imposed, is likely to hit supply of essential commodities to three districts of Nagaland since 80 per cent of the supplies goes from the Jorhat wholesale market.

The students? union alleged that Assamese people in the border areas were feeling insecure after the checkpost was set up by Nagaland. ?It also made work easy for encroachers from Nagaland to occupy Assam land.?

?If nothing is done immediately, a time will come when the border town of Mariani will soon become a part of Nagaland,? states the AASU communiqu?.

Elephant attack

One person was trampled to death by a herd of wild elephants in Badulipar tea estate under Bokakhat subdivision last night.

The victim?s brother was injured in the attack.

The wild herd had descended from Nambar reserve forest and destroyed about 30 houses in the tea estate?s labour colony.

The elephants uprooted trees, destroyed crops and raided the granaries.