Mizo, Assam police agree on cordial ties

Aizawl, August 24

Mizoram and Assam on Wednesday agreed to maintain cordial relations between the police forces of the two states posted along the inter-state boundary, an official statement said. Deputy commissioners of five border districts — Kolasib and Mamit in Mizoram, and Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi in Assam — held a meeting in Mizoram’s Vairengte to discuss the border issue.

Had clashed last yr

• A clash took place on July 26 last year with the police of the two states exchanging fire near Vairengte
• Six policemen and a civilian from Assam were killed; at least 60 persons were injured in the incident
• On Aug 9, the 2 states held a ministerial-level meeting and agreed to maintain peace along the border

They agreed to take measures to ensure that farmers on either side continued agricultural activities undisturbed. A wide range of issues were discussed, including forging collective efforts to protect the forest area along the border, prevent hunting and illegal transportation of wild animals and felicitate selling of Mizoram-grown areca nuts. The issue of ongoing construction of bridges by Mizoram near Thinghlun and Zophai villages along the border was also discussed. Aizawl, Kolasib and Mamit districts of Mizoram share a 164.6-km-long boundary with Assam’s Hailakandi, Karimganj and Cachar districts.