AGENCIES / WEB DESK
A border dispute between Assam and Mizoram took a ugly turn on Monday when clashes led to the deaths of at least six Assam Police personnel.
Two days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah met the Chief Ministers of North Eastern states in Shillong and urged to amicably solve the interstate border dispute, between Assam and Mizoram in particular through discussion, fresh tension erupted along the interstate border between Assam and Mizoram surrounding Cachar district leaving six jawans of Assam police dead and several injured on Monday.
As tension prevailed along the disputed Assam-Mizoram border following clashes while chief ministers of both states were locked in a war of words on Monday, blaming each other’s police for the violence, and sought the intervention of the central government. As the two leaders traded charges on Twitter, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he has spoken to his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga and his police force will maintain peace.
Zoramthanga accused the Assam Police of resorting to lathi-charge and lobbying tear gas shells while Assam Police claimed that a large number of “miscreants” from Mizoram were indulging in stone pelting and had attacked the Assam government officials. Assam’s Barak Valley districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi share a 164 km long border with Mizoram’s three districts of Aizawl, Kolasib and Mamit. Following a territorial dispute, there were clashes along the inter-state border in August 2020 and February this year.
Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a tweet expressed condolences informing the passing away of six jawans of Assam police in the incident. “I am deeply pained to inform you that six brave jawans of @assampolice have sacrificed their lives while defending the constitutional boundary of our state at the Assam-Mizoram border. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families,” the Chief Minister tweeted.
According to reports in the clash at a place between Vairengte in Mizoram and Lailapur in Assam, some of the top officials of Assam police including Cachar SP Vaibhav Nimbalkar, OC Dholai and some civilians living close to the border sustained injuries. The injured persons have been rushed to the Silchar Medical College and Hospital for treatment.