GUWAHATI: The Mizoram government on Thursday alleged that a JCB operator was kidnapped at gun point near the interstate border by a group of Assam Police personnel, who also dragged him by a river, ripped off his clothes and threatened him with dire consequences.
“It has been brought to my notice based on a reliable report that this afternoon at Aitlang in Pu (Mr) Lalngaisanga’s land where road construction connecting jhum land is undertaken by the farmers using excavator JCB…
“Assam Police went to disrupt their activity and damaged the door of excavator and snatched the keys from the JCB operator Pu Lalnarammawia,” Mizoram’s Kolasib District Magistrate H Lalthlangliana wrote to his Hailakandi counterpart in Assam Rohan Jha in a letter, a copy of which was available with The New Indian Express.
Further, the JCB operator was blindfolded and kidnapped with a gun pointed to his head by the Assam Police wearing commando uniform. He was then dragged by the river, ripped off his clothes and threatened. His mobile phone, along with JCB keys, was taken away by the Assam Police, Lalthlangliana further wrote.
Viewing this as a very serious issue and a huge setback to the peace initiatives, the Kolasib DM said this could aggravate the situation on the interstate border.
He urged Jha to immediately intervene and take necessary action against the “perpetrators” and return the items to the JCB owner and its operator at the earliest, indicating the operator, who was allegedly kidnapped, was released.
Senior officials of the Hailakandi district were not available for comments.
On July 26, six Assam Police personnel were killed while scores of others, including a Superintendent of Police, injured, during a gunfight with Mizoram Police on the interstate border. The trouble broke out due to border dispute.