Silchar, July 27: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said the state government will move the Supreme Court regarding encroachment by Mizoram in the Inner Line Reserve Forests.
His statement comes a day after at least five security forces had died and 42 injured from Assam’s side in a clash with Mizoram Police and locals when the latter allegedly opened fired at Lailapur inter-state border in Cachar district of southern Assam that shares borders with Vairengte of Kolasib district in Northern Mizoram.
Addressing media at Cachar district headquarters Silchar, Sarma said the Mizoram government had began construction in the Assam side of inner-line forest.
“Assam government will soon file a suit at the Supreme Court over this dispute so that there is no more forest destruction. So that no one can destruct the reserve forests, we have decided to move the apex court,” Sarma said after paying tribute to the slain security officials at Silchar on Tuesday.
“Last July 25, DFO Cachar informed about roads being built by Mizoram in the Inner-Line Reserve Forest within Assam and a police post being built there,” Sarma said.
Giving the first official version of the events of last Monday, Sarma said, “Police IGP, Cachar DC and SP went and spoke to Kolasib SP to which, the SP initially accept and assured of retreat. But, sometimes later, they returned back with civilians. There were people with light machine guns at a high vantage point from where they open fired at the security officials for over half an hour continuously.”
Assam government has decided to grant Rs 50 lakh to the slain officials family members and a government job to someone from their family, Rs 1 lakh to all the officials who have incurred bullet wounds and a month’s salary to all the officials who have been deputed there.
“Despite the clash, Assam Police has managed to hold its post and didn’t allow a single inch of Assam’s land encroached there. There are still strict police vigil at the site of clash. The disputed post has been handed over to CRPF as per Centre’s instruction and Assam Police retreated from there… Mizoram police, however, didn’t, Sarma said.
On the day of clash, Sarma said he had called Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga about 6-7 times and Union Home Minister Amit Shah has called both the Chief Ministers 2-3 times.
Sarma, revealing the state’s stand, said, “We want a lasting solution to this birder issue. I have in several occassions that he must say a fixed point of time from when we can ascertain the border through satellite maping and Assam will maintain status quo from that point of time. neither we will encroach further, nor they will.”
He said at least five points along the 165-km Assam-Mizoram border at the three districts of Barak Valley in the state’s southern end — Hailakandi, Karimganj and Cachar — has disputes on border demarcation.
The differences regarding the borders stems from the fact that Mizoram follows the demarcations of the inner-line of the Inner Line Reserve Forest as notified by the then British India in 1875 under the provisions of Eastern Bengal Frontier Regulation Act, 1873 that curved out Lushai Hills from the then Assam as lresent day Mizoram, while Assam follows the demarcations of the two states when Mizoram separated from Assam in 1972.
This, however, is not the first time the two states are locked in border dispute as In 1994, the police of the two states had almost gotten into an armed confrontation at Vairengte had the Union Home Ministry not intervened. There was a skirmish in 2006 when Karimganj in Assam had put a signboard on the disputed border and even in 2018, a journalist said Assam police hackled her while she was reporting a clash between police and Mizo students organisation after the latter had put a shed in the border.
Last October, there were skirmishes with Mizoram that spiralled to an economic blockade and needed Union Home Affairs intervention.
