Northeast border row: Mizoram agrees to pull back forces from Assam

Four days after violence alongside the inter-state border injured a number of individuals, Mizoram on Wednesday agreed to tug again its safety forces from areas in Assam.

The resolution was taken at a gathering of senior officers of each states on Wednesday night with Satyendra Kumar Garg, joint secretary (accountable for northeast), Union ministry of house affairs, on the circuit home in Silchar, Assam.

“We will move back the security forces which had come down to Assam side. This should help stranded vehicles to enter Mizoram. There was no discussion on the border dispute in today’s meeting,” Mizoram house secretary Pi Lalbiaksangi instructed journalists after the assembly.

Garg, who reached Silchar to diffuse the tense scenario alongside the border, mentioned that the discussions between each states had been very fruitful and Assam and Mizoram have agreed to resolve points amicably via talks.

Assam house secretary Gyanendra Dev Tripathi mentioned that each side have agreed to revive peace and normalcy alongside the border areas and efforts are underway to renew motion of vehicles stranded on the border.

The areas alongside the border between two states have been tense since Saturday after some residents of Vairengte in Kolasib district of Mizoram set on fireplace non permanent huts made by residents of Lailapur in Cachar district of Assam on a stretch of disputed land.

Mizoram says the huts had been constructed on ‘no man’s land’ whereas Assam claims the realm as theirs.

Following the incident, residents on the Assam aspect have blocked the freeway going to Mizoram and tons of of goods-laden vehicles on approach to the neighbouring state are stranded.

Earlier on Wednesday, a house secretary-level assembly between each states was held at a military camp near Lailapur alongside the inter-state boundary and it was attended by senior police and district officers.

As a part of confidence constructing measures, each side agreed to carry interactions amongst deputy commissioners, superintendents of police and divisional forest officers of border districts as soon as a month.

Mizoram house secretary Lalbiaksangi requested Assam officers to make sure motion of stranded vehicles whereas Tripathi requested the Mizoram aspect to take motion in opposition to miscreants who burnt down huts on the Assam aspect on Saturday and in addition guarantee there is no such thing as a encroachment of reserve forests.

“We are for people to people contact and keeping every mode of communication open so that the camaraderie and bonhomie that exist between people of both neighbouring states prevail,” mentioned Tripathi.

Talking to journalists after the assembly, Lalbiaksangi assured that the Mizoram authorities will present safety to vehicles coming from the Assam aspect.

“Our priority is to maintain peace and ensure movement of the stranded trucks. The other issues including the border row can be discussed later,” Assam Police’s Special DGP (Border) Mukesh Agarwal instructed journalists.

Assam and Mizoram share a 164.6 km lengthy boundary. Mizoram was a part of Assam until 1972, when it grew to become a union territory. It grew to become a state in 1987. There have been minor skirmishes up to now with Mizoram looking for delineation of the border on the idea of East Bengal Frontier Regulation of 1873.