The Hailakandi administration in Assam clamped Section 144 of Cr.PC in the entire district on Wednesday after six persons were injured and 18 houses burnt down as a result of a clash between residents of Assam and Mizoram a day earlier close to the border between the two states.
Unofficial accounts and local reports say the number of injured could be over two dozen and nearly 50 houses were burnt. However, officials haven’t confirmed those figures.
According to Assam officials, the incident took place at Kachurtal area of Jhalnacherra in Hailakandi district over a dispute related to construction of a road on the Assam side of the border.
“There was a quarrel on the construction of a road on the Assam-Mizoram border on our side. Some Mizoram residents obstructed construction of the road and it led to a fight between residents of both states and several people got injured,” said Dilip Kumar Dey, DIG (Southern Range), Assam Police.
“Three persons on our side were injured. When our personnel reached the spot they dispersed the mob. But while returning to Mizoram, the miscreants burnt down at least 18 houses on the Assam side,” he added.
Security personnel from the state police and central paramilitary forces have been deployed in the area and the situation there is stated to be tense but under control. On Wednesday senior district and police officials visited the site.
{{/usCountry}}Security personnel from the state police and central paramilitary forces have been deployed in the area and the situation there is stated to be tense but under control. On Wednesday senior district and police officials visited the site.
{{/usCountry}}“The situation is under control. Most villagers who had fled from their homes fearing more attacks have gone back. Nearly 15 families are taking shelter in relief camp. We are in constant touch with officials of Kolasib district in Mizoram to monitor the situation,” Hailakandi deputy commissioner Megh Nidhi Dahal said.
Hailakandi superintendent of police Pabindra Kumar Nath said that three persons from Mizoram also sustained minor injuries in the clash.
“Though construction was taking place in Assam, Mizoram claims the territory to be disputed. The injuries sustained by the six persons are not very serious. Of the three from Assam, one was discharged after first-aid while the two others were taken to Hailakandi civil hospital,” Nath said.
Apprehending further breach of peace and tranquility in the border areas following Tuesday’s incident additional district magistrate RK Dam promulgated Section 144 with immediate effect.
Tuesday’s incident took place less than a week after a school located near the Assam-Mizoram border in Hailakandi district was damaged due to two bomb blasts by unidentified miscreants in the early hours of February 3.
Assam and Mizoram share a 164-km boundary and there have been territorial disputes between the two states for many years.
In October last year, several persons from both states were injured in violence along the Assam-Mizoram border after some residents of Vairengte in Kolasib district of Mizoram set on fire temporary huts made by residents of Lailapur in Cachar district of Assam on a stretch of disputed land.
Mizoram said the huts were built on ‘no man’s land’ while Assam claimed the area as theirs.
Following the incident, residents on the Assam side blocked the highway going to Mizoram for several days and hundreds of trucks on the way to the neighbouring state were stranded.
The blockade was lifted in November after several rounds of talks between both states and following intervention of the Union home ministry.