Assam and Mizoram deployed large numbers of security personnel to keep the peace.
Guwahati:
The Assam and Mizoram governments called the center on Sunday to discuss the situation at the state border after a violent clash in which several people were injured. The situation is now under control in the area, which is in the Kolasib district of Mizoram and the Cachar district of Assam, both parties said.
Assam’s Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office and the Union Ministry of the Interior. He also spoke by phone with Mizoram’s chief minister, Zoramthanga, highlighting joint efforts to address border issues and resolve disputes amicably, the Assam government said in a statement. Zoramthanga assured Sonowal of interstate border peacekeeping efforts and cooperation, he added.
The Mizoram government also approached the center to defuse the situation. The state government said it held a cabinet meeting to discuss the violence and blamed “unilateral and provocative acts” and “transgressions by the Assam government.”
On Monday there will be a meeting chaired by the Union Secretary of the Interior, Ajay Kumar Bhalla, between the two states to review the situation, said Mizoram Interior Minister Lalchamliana. The chief secretaries of the two states will be present at the meeting, he said.
The two states have deployed large numbers of security personnel to areas affected by the violence near the village of Vairengte in Mizoram and Lailapur in Assam, authorities said. Hundreds of vehicles, including trucks transporting basic goods to Mizoram, are stranded at the Vairengte border.
The violence erupted Saturday after people living on both sides of the border clashed over a COVID-19 testing center set up by Mizoram within the territory claimed by Assam to sample truckers heading to Mizoram and others. without the permission of the Assam authority.
According to locals, some youths from the Mizoram side of the border came to Lailapur and attacked truck drivers and villagers and burned more than 15 small shops and houses. The locals also retaliated.
In neighboring Karimganj district, there was also tension with the Mizoram and Assam police increasing security coverage following border disputes in the Ratabari and Patharkandi areas.
“In both Cachar and Karimganj, Mizoram police entered Assam territory. In Lailapur, they tried to build a control gate 1.5 km inside Assam. We have opposed it. In Karimganj, they are 2.5 km inside of our territory. Our forces are deployed there too, “said Deputy Inspector General of Police for the southern area of Assam, Dilip Kumar Dey.
Meanwhile, tension has also been building on the Tripura-Mizoram border in recent days. According to officials from the Mamit district of Mizoram, large gatherings in the villages of Phuldungsei, Zampui and Zomuantlang were banned due to the proposed construction of a temple in the area by an indigenous organization from Tripura.
Mizoram Interior Minister Lalbiaksangi, in a letter to her Tripura counterpart, Barun Kumar Sahu, said that there was an “apprehension of a breach of public order and clashes between communities” and that they have asked the India Study for verification jointly to resolve the dispute. .
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