NEW DELHI: More than a month after Assam and Mizoram reached a pact to pull out police personnel from the disputed Lailapur-Vairengte border area, where on July 26 deadly clashes were reported, the complete takeover of the area by a Central police force as directed by the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA), is yet to happen. A highly placed source told this newspaper that CRPF, which was supposed to have been deployed in the area by now, has not been pressed into action as tensions have eased.
Meanwhile, the police forces of the two states have not pulled back from their positions in the disputed stretch. The CRPF has written to the MHA seeking guidance. The ministry was informed about the current positioning of the state police forces in the area. The CRPF has not been given any urgent orders to deploy its personnel in the region, a senior government functionary told this newspaper.
By August 3, the CRPF was scheduled to completely take over the disputed area. Fierce border clashes between Assam and Mizoram was reported on July 26, when at least six Assam Police personnel and one civilian were killed.
Following the violence, Union home minister Amit Shah intervened and held teleconferences with the Chief Ministers of Assam and Mizoram. The CMs agreed to withdraw their personnel from the disputed stretch. After the home minister’s intervention, the CM of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, had also not pressed further on his demand for a CBI probe into the clashes.