Mizoram shoots off letter to MHA on ‘buildup’ along border with Assam

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 30

The situation on the Assam-Mizoram border remained tense but calm with battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) patrolling the area along National Highway-306, said officials.

Secretary, Home Department of Mizoram, Pi Lalbiaksangi has written a letter to the Additional Secretary (Northeast) Piyush Goyal in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that armed police personnel were being mobilised by Assam at Dholai and Hawaithang along the inter-state border.

“There is also a news report that four platoons of commandos are part of this reinforcement,” Lalbiaksangi said, while requesting the MHA to issue “appropriate instructions” to Assam to “refrain from such reinforcements and pull back those contingents”.

Earlier, Mizoram had written to Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla to immediately get Assam to lift the economic blockade clamped by residents of Barak Valley with the government’s alleged support.

Clarifying on this, Assam denied that there was any economic blockade on NH-306, the Mizoram’s lifeline, or any other road leading to the hill state. Superintendent of Police, Cachar, is reported to have said truckers and foodgrain merchants had voluntarily stopped supplying goods to Mizoram after Monday’s flare-up. On his part, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma is learnt to have said the state government’s advisory issued yesterday was not meant to put a curb on travel. “We have advised our people to only think before going to Mizoram as civilians there have arms and this will continue until the Mizoram government seizes their weapons,” he said.

Meanwhile, in the Capital, a forum of MPs from Northeast appealed to both governments to ensure peace along the inter-state border.

Rijiju appeals for calm

Northeast MPs Forum Chairman and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and General Secretary and MP from Shillong Vincent H Pala appealed to the two states to come together with the aim of resolving the long-pending border dispute.

CM defends travel advisory

• CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday clarified the advisory, saying citizens were merely advised to think before going to the neighbouring state.
• The Assam Government had on Thursday asked its people not to travel to Mizoram and advised those working or staying there to “exercise caution”.

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