NEW DELHI/GUWAHATI: Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla on Monday chaired a meeting with chief secretaries of Mizoram and Assam following violent clash at their inter-state border.
At a virtual conference with the chief secretaries as well as the DGPs, Bhalla asked both states to maintain peace at inter-state borders and sort out differences mutually and amicably.
Tension prevailed on the Assam-Mizoram border after a clash took place between the people of the two states, injuring several people.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah and apprised them of the latest situation on the inter-state border. Sonowal informed the PM of his discussion with his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga and the steps taken so far by the Assam government to diffuse tension.
“During the talk, PM Modi assured the CM of taking appropriate steps to improve the situation on the border. Earlier, CM Sonowal also called up Union Home Minister Amit Shah and briefed him about the situation. The Union Home Minister assured to extend all support to restore peace,” an official statement from the CMO said. Zoramthanga welcomed Sonowal’s approach towards restoring peace in the region.
The two states have deployed security personnel, including those of the Indian Reserve Battalion, after at least eight people were injured and houses and shops torched on Saturday night in Vairengte-Lailapur on the border of Cachar in Assam and Kolasib in Mizoram.
Mizoram was a part of Assam until it became a Union Territory in 1972 and a state in 1987.
The border is not clearly demarcated. As such, the villagers in both states construct structures and use each other’s land for farming. Periodic inspection of such encroachment often leads to tension in the border areas.