NEW DELHI, July 26: The border disputes between Assam and Mizoram on Monday flared up into gun fight leaving six personnel of the Assam Police dead and at least 50 others injured.
The Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the police personnel died “defending the constitutional boundary” of the state at the Mizoram border as the festering border dispute between the two north-eastern states took an ugly turn.
Local media reports said about 50 Assam police personnel were admitted to a hospital in Silchar with some of them suffering serious injuries.
It was not immediately known what caused the fatal injuries but videos that surfaced on social media showed mobs gathering at the controversial border point. There were reports of lathi-charge and firing from the border area, which lies over Assam’s Cachar district and Mizoram’s Kolasib district.
The incident took place close on the heels of home minister Amit Shah’s visit to the region, where he held a meeting with CMs of the northeastern states. The border dispute between Assam and Mizoram was raised during the talks.
Earlier on Monday, Shah had asked the chief ministers of both the states to find a solution to the border dispute. Both Assam and Mizoram had agreed to resolve the issue and maintain peace, according to sources.
Tension flared along the border after eight farmers’ huts were set ablaze by unidentified miscreants, a senior police officer said on Monday.
Mizoram Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Northern Range), Lalbiakthanga Khiangte, said at least eight unoccupied farm huts near Aitlang stream in the trouble-torn area were torched around 11.30 pm on Sunday. He said these belonged to farmers from Vairengte in Mizoram, the nearest border village from Assam.
Complaints have been lodged by owners of the huts at Vairengte police station and investigation is underway, Khiangte said.
The situation along the Mizoram-Assam border has been on the boil since June-end when Assam Police allegedly took control over an area known as ‘Aitlang hnar’ about 5 km from Vairengte, accusing the neighbouring state of encroaching on its territory.
Several crops and betel nut trees belonging to a Mizoram farmer were also reportedly damaged during the “eviction drive,” as claimed by Assam Police and officials at Buarchep near Phainuam village, on July 10. On the same day, a grenade was allegedly hurled on an Assam government team visiting the border by unknown people. Both the states have been blaming each other for two back-to-back explosions across the border in the early hours of 11 July.
Tweeting a video of the violence where people armed with sticks can be seen, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga sought Amit Shah’s intervention, saying it “needs to be stopped right now.”
Zoramthanga had raised the border issue during the meeting with his counterparts from other northeastern states on Sunday, officials said. He informed the union home minister that border disputes among states of the region is a legacy issue of the colonial era, they said.
Zoramthanga had also said large tracts of land claimed by Assam to be within its constitutional boundary have been used for collection of forest produce and cultivation for more than 100 years by the people of Mizoram. The chief minister took to Twitter and posted a video of a mob clashing with the police at the Assam-Mizoram border.
In another tweet, he said a couple on their way back to Mizoram from Cachar were “manhandled and ransacked by thugs and goons.”
The Assam chief minister tweeted: “Honble @ZoramthangaCM ji, Kolasib (Mizoram) SP is asking us to withdraw from our post until then their civilians won’t listen nor stop violence. How can we run government in such circumstances? Hope you will intervene at earliest.”
Sarma later tweeted that he has spoken to his Mizoram counterpart. “I have just spoken to Chief Minister Zoramthanga I have reiterated that Assam will maintain status quo and peace between the borders of our state. I have expressed my willingness to visit Aizawl and discuss these issues if need be (sic).”
Zoramthanga, however, shot back, “As discussed I kindly urge that Assam Police be instructed to withdraw from Vairengte for the safety of civilians”.
Three Mizoram districts – Aizawl, Kolasib and Mamit – share a 164.6 km long inter-state border with Assam’s Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj districts. There have been skirmishes at the “disputed” areas of the border for years, with the residents on both sides accusing each other of intrusion.
The last incident was reported in June, when security forces of both states exchanged allegations of “intrusion.” The Mizoram government has constituted a boundary commission to deal with demarcation of the border. The boundary commission will be chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Tawnluia and will have Home Minister Lalchamliana as vice chairman.
Assam has border disputes with Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh as well.
(Manas Dasgupta)