Assam-Mizoram border row turns violent, CMs seeks Centre's intervention

The AssamMizoram border trouble flared up on Monday with at least 20 officials and civilians injured and vehicles damaged in clashes as both Chief Ministers sought Union Home Minister Amit Shahs urgent interventionOfficials of both states including Cachar Deputy Commissioner Keerthi Jalli and Superintendent of Police Nimbalkar Vaibhav Chandrakant are camping at troubletorn Lailapur area in Assams Cachar district which borders Mizorams Kolasib as they try to calm down the situationAssam officials claimed that a large number of people from Mizoram attacked them injuring 16 six km inside the state while Mizoram officials claimed that people from Assam damaged a vehicle in which a Mizo couple was travelling to the state There were reports that there was some firing too but officials did not confirm itAssam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga in a series of tweets sought to blame each others officials for the situation while calling on Amit Shah to urgently intervene to control the situationThe Mizoram CM in his tweets where he tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah said Dear Himantaji after cordial meeting of CMs by Honble Shri Amit Shah ji surprisingly two companies of Assam Police with civilians lathicharged amp tear gassed civilians at Vairengte Auto Rickshaw stand inside Mizoram today Monday They even overran CRPF personnel and Mizoram PoliceHonble Himanta Biswa Sarma ji as discussed I kindly urge that Assam Police be instructed to withdraw from Vairengte for the safety of civiliansTagging videos of the border clashes Zoramthanga said Shri Amit Shah ji kindly look into the matter This needs to be stopped right nowIn another tweet he said Innoncent couple on their way back to Mizoram via Cachar manhandled and ransacked by thugs and goons How are you going to justify these violent actsSarma in his tweets said I have just spoken to Honble Chief Minister Zoramthanga ji I have reiterated that Assam will maintain status quo and peace between the borders of our state I have expressed my willingness to visit Aizawl and discuss these issues if need beHonble Zoramthanga ji Kolasib SP is asking us to withdraw from our post until then their civilians wont listen nor stop violence How can we run government in such circumstances Hope you will intervene at earliestHe also tagged Amit Shah and the PMO in his tweetsMizorams Aizawl Kolasib and Mamit districts abut Assams Cachar Karimganj and Hailakandi districtsThe interstate border troubles issues were discussed when the Union Home Minister met the Chief Ministers of eight northeastern states in Shillong on Saturday The first Chief Ministerlevel meeting to resolve the border troubles between Assam and Meghalaya was held on Friday in Shillong and both sides decided to solve disputes in 12 bordering locations in a phased mannerAccording to Assam Police since October last year several interstate border skirmishes have taken place along the 1646 km border in which one man was killed and over 50 people injured besides large scale damage caused to properties including governmentrun schools shops and houses along the borderThe Assam Chief Minister during the ongoing Assembly session said that 1777 hectares of land in the three districts bordering Mizoram have been encroached by Mizos Mizoram Chief Secretary Lalnunmawia Chuaungo rebutted the claim saying that the lands referring by the Assam Chief Minister had been with residents of Mizorams border villages for over 100 years and hence there is no question of encroachmentMizoram Home Minister Lalchamliana had said earlier that the crops of Mizo farmers had been destroyed at Buarchep in Kolasib by the Assam Police earlier this month and demanded adequate compensation by the Assam governmentThe AssamMizoram border troubles were tamped down last year following the intervention of the Union Home Minister Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla top Home Ministry officials and Chief Ministers of both states and then the central paramilitary troops were deployed along the border to prevent fresh troubles after a series of clashes and blockades on National Highway 306But since June 29 the troubles along the borders of the two northeastern states have resumed after the two states accused each other of encroachment at Aitlang hnar near Vairengte which borders Assams Hailakandi districtTension further shot up when Assam officials reportedly destroyed some plantations at Buarchep in the Phainuam area bordering Cachar district on July 10 during eviction even as Assam officials claimed that the people of Mizoram encroached more than six km into its territoryAssam shares borders with six other northeastern states and has boundary disputes with four Nagaland Arunachal Pradesh Meghalaya besides Mizoram These and the disputes between the other states have led to violence and unlawful activities leading to deployment of Central paramilitary forcesThis story has been sourced from a third party 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