Guwahati/Aizawl, July 26 (PTI): At least six Assam police personnel were killed and 50 others, including an SP, injured in clashes on Monday in a sudden escalation of the border dispute between Assam and Mizoram that also saw the two chief ministers engaging in a public spat, blaming each other's police for the violence and seeking the Centre's intervention.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke 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.
Assam's Barak Valley districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi share a 164 km long border with Mizoram's three districts of Aizawl, Kolasib and Mamit.
Following a territorial dispute, there were clashes along the inter-state border in August 2020 and February this year.
The Assam chief minister announced on Twitter that six personnel of the Assam Police were killed in firing along the inter-state border in the Cachar district.
"I am deeply pained to inform that six brave jawans of @assampolice have sacrificed their lives while defending the constitutional boundary of our state at the Assam-Mizoram border. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families," Sarma tweeted.
However, Mizoram Home Minister Lalchamliana, in a statement, said Mizoram Police responded "spontaneously by firing back" at Assam Police after its 200 personnel forcibly crossed a duty post manned by the CRPF personnel and indulged in arson, assault on unarmed persons and firing.
Mizoram Deputy Inspector General of Police (Northern Range), Lalbiakthanga Khiangte, also alleged that Assam Police opened fire and hurled grenades at Mizoram forces and unarmed civilians near Vairengte village in Kolasib district in the afternoon.
We had no other choice but to retaliate in self defence, he said.
A senior Assam Police officer, who is still inside the forest amid continuous firing from across the state border, told PTI that at least 50 personnel, including Cachar Superintendent of Police Nimbalkar Vaibhav Chandrakant, were injured in firing and stone-pelting.
The senior police officer said miscreants from across the state border suddenly started firing when civil officials of both sides were holding a dialogue to sort out the differences.
"I immediately cannot say how many people have been injured, but my guess is at least 50 personnel. Our SP was also injured in the firing and a bullet hit his leg," the officer said over the phone.
The IPS officer spoke to PTI while he was hiding inside a forest and firing could be heard in the background.
Later in the evening, Shah spoke to the chief ministers of Assam and Mizoram and asked them to ensure peaceful resolution of the dispute, sources said.
During his separate telephonic conversations with Assam CM Sarma and his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga, Shah asked them to maintain peace along the inter-state border where tension prevails, the sources said.
The home minister asked the chief ministers to resolve the border issue mutually.
Both chief ministers have assured the home minister that the needful will be done to ensure peace and resolve the border issue amicably.
Soon after, Mizoram Home Minister Lalchamliana said in his statement that following the intervention of Shah, the Assam Police have withdrawn from the place and the duty post have been handed back to CRPF personnel.
Earlier, Zoramthanga accused the Assam Police of resorting to lathi-charge and lobbing tear gas shells while Assam Police claimed that a large number of "miscreants" from Mizoram were indulging in stone pelting and had attacked the Assam government officials.
Mizoram Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Northern Range), Lalbiakthanga Khiangte, told PTI that at least eight unoccupied farm huts near Aitlang stream in the trouble-torn area were torched around 11.30 pm on Sunday.
He said these belonged to farmers from Vairengte, the nearest border village from Assam.
Locals on the Assam side alleged that miscreants armed with sticks, rods and even rifles, attacked personnel of the Assam Police at Lailapur and damaged several vehicles, including those belonging to the office of the Deputy Commissioner.
In his statement, the Mizoram home minister said around 200 personnel of the Assam Police led by an IGP and accompanied by the DC, SP and DFO Cachar came to Vairengte auto-rickshaw stand at around 11.30 AM on Monday and allegedly forcibly crossed the duty post manned by the CRPF personnel stationed there and over-ran a duty post manned by one section of Mizoram Police personnel.
The Assam Police also damaged several vehicles that were travelling along the National Highway between Vairengte and Lailapur, he claimed.
Upon learning of "the arson committed" by the Assam Police, residents of Vairengte town proceeded to the site to inquire and these unarmed civilians were assaulted by the Assam Police by lathi charging them and firing tear gas, thereby causing injuries to several civilians, the Mizoram home minister said.
He said the Superintendent of Kolasib and an Executive Magistrate went to meet them and try to resolve the issue. However, "the Assam side was adamant and unwilling to discuss the issue," he alleged.
Lalchamliana said the confrontation continued and a volley of tear gas canisters and grenades were launched at Mizoram Police followed by firing from the Assam side at around 4.50 PM.
The Mizoram Police responded spontaneously by firing back at Assam Police in spite of the fact that the SP was still inside CRPF duty camp negotiating with the Assam Police authorities, he said.
Mizoram was part of Assam until 1972, when it was carved out as a Union Territory.
Mizoram became the 23rd state of India on 20 February 1987 following the Mizoram accord between the erstwhile underground Mizo National Front (MNF) and the Centre, which ended 20 years of insurgency in the state.
The border dispute between the two neighbouring states is a long-standing issue. Several dialogues involving the Centre held since 1995 to resolve the dispute yielded little result.
While the Mizoram government claimed that a 509-square-mile stretch of the inner-line reserve forest notified in 1875 under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873 belongs to it, the Assam side agreed with the constitutional map and boundary drawn by the Survey of India in 1993.
After a massive tussle in 2018, the border row resurfaced in August last year and then in February this year.