In Meeting With Amit Shah, Assam & Mizoram CMs Decide To Set Up Committees To Settle Boundary Disputes

The situation between Assam and Mizoram became tense following the July 26 violence when the police of both states registered separate cases naming each other’s political leaders and police. 

This was the second consecutive meeting in two days between Assam and Mizoram’s chief ministers who had also met on Thursday night. (Photo: Twitter/@himantabiswa)

New Delhi: Assam and Mizoram on Friday committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity along their inter-state border as a decision was taken to set up committees to settle the boundary disputes that had previously claimed the lives of five Assam Police personnel and a civilian in July.

The decision was reached as Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi.

Informing about the same, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote: “Heartening to share that I along with HCM Mizoram Sri Zoramthanga met Hon HM Sri Amit Shah this evening in New Delhi. We reaffirmed our resolve to maintain peace and tranquility at our borders”.

“It has been decided that both the states will constitute committees for resolving the border disputes through discussions. Towards this end, Chief Ministers level talks will also take place from time to time. We're grateful to Union HM for his kind guidance and support,” he added.

It has been decided that both the states will constitute committees for resolving the border disputes through discussions. Towards this end, Chief Ministers' level talks will also take place from time to time. We're grateful to Union HM for his kind guidance and support.

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) November 26, 2021

This was the second consecutive meeting in two days between the chief ministers who had also met on Thursday night over dinner.

“Happy to share that HCM Mizoram Sri Zoramthanga accepted my dinner invite at Assam House, Delhi. We had a nice dinner and lively evening. It’s always so heartening to have his gracious company,” Himanta Sarma had written on Twitter about the dinner meeting.

Happy to share that HCM Mizoram Sri @ZoramthangaCM accepted my dinner invite at Assam House, Delhi. We had a nice dinner and lively evening.

It’s always so heartening to have his gracious company.

My colleague Sri @ATULBORA2 joined us. pic.twitter.com/T5TUVEfvPS

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) November 25, 2021

Assam and Mizoram share a 164-km-long border.

Mizoram CM Zoramthanga had said on Thursday that both the state governments “will try” to increase the fencing all along the border, reported news agency PTI.

The two chief ministers’ meetings in the national capital were held apparently following an intervention of the Union Home Ministry, which has been trying to resolve the border disputes, the agency cited officials as saying.

The Union government wants a peaceful resolution to the border dispute between Assam and Mizoram and the Union home minister is believed to be in regular touch with the two chief ministers, an official stated.

Assam - Mizoram Border Tension

The situation between Assam and Mizoram became tense following the July 26 violence when the police of both states registered separate cases naming each other’s political leaders, police, and civil officials. 

However, some of these cases were withdrawn following a truce.

The chief secretaries and DGPs of the two states on July 28 attended a meeting chaired by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla where the decision to deploy a neutral central force (CRPF) at the clash site was taken.

Five Assam Police personnel and a civilian were killed and over 50 others, including a superintendent of police, were injured when the Mizoram Police opened fire on a team of the Assam officials on July 26 following clashes along the two states' border.

While the Mizoram government maintains 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 insists that the constitutional map and boundary drawn by the survey of India in 1933 was acceptable to it.

After a massive tussle in 2018, the border row flared up in August last year and then in February this year. The escalating tensions were defused after a series of parleys with the intervention of the Union government.

On June 5, two abandoned houses along the Mizoram-Assam border were burnt down by unidentified persons leading to tension along the volatile inter-state border.

Nearly a month after this incident, a fresh border standoff came up with both states trading charges of encroachment on each other’s lands.

Mizoram accused Assam of encroaching upon its land and forcefully seizing the Aitlang area about 5 km west of Vairengte village. On the other hand, Assam accused Mizoram of building structures and planting betel nut and banana saplings allegedly 10 kilometres inside Hailakandi district.

As per PTI, two makeshift camps erected by Mizoram police on the disputed area were damaged by Assam police during a recent confrontation.

Officials said that razing of two camps constructed by Mizos, as well as a COVID-19 testing centre built by them, was part of the efforts to foil Mizoram’s bid to capture its land on the border.

(With Agency Inputs)