GUWAHATI: Mizoram home minister Lalchamliana said on Tuesday that the violent clash along the border between both states on Monday that claimed seven ives and injured 41 (on the Assam side) was the outcome of provocation by the neighbouring state, rejecting Assam’s version of events.
Assam maintains that Mizoram police were the first to start firing at its (Assam’s) police personnel and civilians, but Lalchamliana stated that his state’s security forces responded to firing initiated by the Assam side.
“Yesterday’s incident was unfortunate, but Assam police should not have entered Mizoram forcibly to remove residents,” the home minister said refuting the comments of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
On Tuesday, Sarma, who visited Silchar and met those injured in clashes a day earlier, told journalists that Assam administrative and police officials who went to the border on Monday to request the Mizoram side to maintain status quo of the disputed area were first attacked by a mob of miscreants and later fired upon by Mizoram police personnel.
“One shouldn’t believe all statements made by the Assam chief minister. It was Assam police personnel and civilians who entered Mizoram’s territory on Monday and created problems. When Assam police started firing, our forces had to retaliate to save themselves,” said Lalchamliana.
{{/usCountry}}“One shouldn’t believe all statements made by the Assam chief minister. It was Assam police personnel and civilians who entered Mizoram’s territory on Monday and created problems. When Assam police started firing, our forces had to retaliate to save themselves,” said Lalchamliana.
{{/usCountry}}“Assam police personnel came heavily armed and were the first to open fire. Our personnel, who were also armed with automatic weapons and light machine guns (LMGs), responded to the attack. Whatever has happened in unfortunate,” he added.
On Tuesday, Lalchamliana visited the area in Vairengte where the border clashes took place a day earlier. As per a Mizoram government release, the state police has been deployed at three places along the border where “tension surged up recently due to incursion by Assam Police”.
Mizoram has not put out an official statement on casualties it suffered in the clash. A staffer at the Mizoram CM’s office told HT over phone on Monday that three people sustained injuries.
On Tuesday, Chief Minister Zoramthanga tweeted a photo of one injured getting treated at a hospital in Kolasib for ”grievous injuries”.
“The situation along the border is peaceful on Tuesday. We believe violence will not solve anything and we want resolution of the border issue through talks. I can’t comment on when and where the CMs of both states will have a meeting to discuss the issue,” said Lalchamliana.
He added that the union home secretary has called for a meeting with chief secretaries and police chiefs of both Mizoram and Assam at New Delhi on Wednesday to discuss Monday’s incident and also the border issue.
“But the union home secretary is an IAS-office of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre. Can we expect a neutral outcome from the talks?” questioned the Mizoram home minister.