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Fresh tension along Assam-Mizoram border over Covid-19 testing center
While Mizoram said the makeshift camp was on their land, Assam police claimed that the area came under Assam.
Fresh tension erupted along the Assam-Mizoram border in Hailakandi district after a makeshift camp in the name of Covid-19 testing centre was constructed in the Jhumghar area of the district, officials said.
The Covid-19 testing centre was allegedly constructed by Mizoram IR Battalion personnel.
While Mizoram said the makeshift camp was made on their land, Assam police claimed that the area comes under Assam as per the demarcation based on the Survey of India. Those camps were finally removed by Assam police and a district administration level discussion was also held between Kolasib and Hailakandi.
Superintendent of police, Hailakandi district, Ramandeep Kaur told Hindustan Times that in a regular patrol, forest officials found a temporary camp constructed by Indian Reserve Battalion, Mizoram near the state border on Assam’s land.
“It was found on June 29 and the forest officials informed us about it. Following the demarcation based on the Survey of India map, we found that it was on Assam’s land so we removed it accordingly,” he said.
The next day they held a discussion with the deputy commissioner and the superintendent of police of Kolasib district of Mizoram. Both of them agreed to follow the demarcation based on the Survey of India.
Some locals did not want to follow this and tried to create tension again on July 1 and we had to deploy our forces in the area,” he added.
According to the locals in Hailakandi, some groups from Mizoram regularly try to construct makeshift bases in the name of Covid-19 testing centres.
In this process, they get engaged in a war of words with the people of Assam and the situation often worsens. In the past, several houses were burnt by unknown miscreants along the border area. Local people alleged that it was done by people coming from Mizoram. Many residents moved to other parts of Hailakandi district from the border areas due to these regular incidents.
Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Assam police’s southern range, Debajyoti Mukherjee, said, there is no tension in the area.
“Our duty is to protect the common people and keep the law and order situation normal. There have been several attempts in past to encroach Assam’s land from Mizoram’s side. We cannot allow any such attempts. We have a boundary demarcated by the Survey of India and following that, our offices are doing their duty. It’s a forest area and it is the department of forest which has to look at these issues. The police department will definitely support them, our officials are keeping strict vigil”, he said.
Similar attempts were made in Lailapur area in Cachar district of Assam on July 2. According to forest officials, some people from Mizoram tried to destroy the forest on Assam’s land. Locals informed the officials and when they reached, Mizoram police personnel got engaged in an argument with them. A team of police led by Superintendent of police, Cachar district, Vaibhav Chandrakant Nimbalkar, rushed to the area and tried to control the situation.
