At least six persons were killed and 60 others, including an SP, injured in a bloody row with neighbouring state on Monday..
The Assam BJP led government declared a three-day state mourning from Tuesday to condole the death of five policemen and one civilian in a border clash with Mizoram on the previous day, a notification said.
During this period, the national flag will fly at half-mast and there will be no public entertainment, the order issued by the General Administration Department said.
At least six persons were killed and 60 others, including an SP, injured in a bloody clash along the Assam-Mizoram border on Monday.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has spoken to the chief ministers of Assam and Mizoram, Himanta Biswa Sarma and Zoramthanga respectively, and urged them to ensure peace along the disputed border and find an amicable settlement.
Sarma paid floral tributes to the five slain policemen at Silchar on Tuesday.
“We are deeply anguished by the loss of lives of our brave @assam police personnel. I visited Silchar SP office and paid floral tributes to the five martyrs and salute their sacrifice,” he tweeted.
Earlier in the day, the chief minister visited the Silchar Medical College and Hospital and met the police personnel injured in the attack.
“Visited SMCH to meet injured officials and directed doctors to ensure best treatment to them. Asked to send seriously injured personnel for higher level treatment by air ambulance on priority,” Sarma said in another Twitter post.
Assam chief minister also said his government will move the Supreme Court seeking protection of Innerline Forest Reserve from destruction and encroachment and deploy three commando battalions in Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi districts bordering Mizoram to strengthen security.
“It is the responsibility of the Centre to define the boundary and we will abide by it…if tomorrow the Parliament enacts a law by which our land can be given to another state, we will do so but till then we will protect our constitutional boundary,” he said after paying floral tributes to the slain personnel.
He claimed some people who entered India from Myanmar wanted to settle in Assam’s Dima Hasao district via Mizoram but his government thwarted the attempts.
“Then we hit the drug route through Mizoram and Manipur to Assam,” he said.
“Finally, the tabling of the Assam Cattle Protection Bill in the state assembly also created apprehension though we have clarified that transporation to northeastern states will not be affected provided they have valid permit,” he added, while explaining the reasons that could have upset the non- state actors.
“People who have entered Mizoram from Myanmar are trying to come to Assam and stay in Dima Hasao district. But we did not allow them,” he was quoted as saying.
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The chief minister is also likely to visit the inter-state border where the situation was stated to be “tense but under control”, officials said.
Meanwhile BJP general secretary and Lok Sabha MP from Assam state Dilip Saikia demanded that Mizoram tender an apology to the people of Assam for the death of its police personnel.
“What Mizoram police along with local people did yesterday is condemnable. There was a video showing Mizo people celebrating the killing of Assamese police personnel.
I condemn this barbaric attack on Assamese people and police,” Saikia told reporters in the national capital and demanded an apology.
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Mizoram Information and Public Relations Minister Lalruatkima shot right back and claimed CRPF personnel at the border did not restrain armed police personnel and civilians from Assam from intruding into Mizoram despite the tension.
“The bloody clashes could have been averted had CRPF personnel prevented Assam police from entering Mizoram territory,” Lalruatkima told PTI.
Mizoram was a district of Assam before it was carved out as a union territory in 1971 after years of insurgency and the district borders did not really matter.
It became a state in 1987 and border issues cropped up as perceptions over where the boundary should be differed.
While Mizoram wants it to be along the inner line notified in 1875, which Mizo tribals feel is part of their historical homeland, Assam insists it should be defined according to district demarcation done much later.
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In an unrelated development but which could give an insight into the Centre’s approach to border row among states, the government told the Lok Sabha on Monday that such disputes can “only” be resolved with the cooperation of states involved and the Union government just acts as a facilitator.
“The approach of the central government has consistently been that inter-state disputes can be resolved only with the cooperation of the state governments concerned and that the central government acts only as a facilitator for amicable settlement of the dispute in the spirit of mutual understanding,”
Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said.
It is to be noted Assam is engaged in protracted border disputes with Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram.
The Union home ministry, meanwhile, said the Centre is in regular touch with the Assam and Mizoram governments and trying to calm down the situation. CRPF contingents have been deployed in the violence-hit area.
