With an escalation in tensions on the Assam-Mizoram border, Chief Ministers of both the states on Monday engaged in a war of words with each other, tweeting videos of violence while the former urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene in the matter and solve the crisis.
Shah had over the weekend on a two-day visit to Meghalaya held a meeting with chief ministers of all northeast states.
A clip shared by Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga on his Twitter account showed locals clashing with police. "Shri @AmitShah ji....kindly look into the matter. This needs to be stopped right now," he tweeted.
To this the Assam Police responded that it was unfortunate that miscreants from Mizoram are indulging in stone-pelting and attacked Assam Government Officials, stationed at Lailapur to protect Assam's land from encroachment.
Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma also responded to Zoramthanga's post and tweeted by sharing a video clip and said a superintendent of police from Mizoram was asking Assam's officials to withdraw from their post, failing which civilians from the neighbouring state would not stop the violence. Sarma also sought immediate intervention of Shah and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). "How can we run government in such circumstances?" Sarma posted on his Twitter handle.
After this Zoramthanga wrote to Sarma, "Dear Himantji, after a cordial meeting of CMs (chaired) by Shah, two companies of Assam Police with civilians lathicharged and tear gassed civilians at Vairengte Auto Rickshaw stand inside Mizoram today. They even overrun CRPF personnel/Mizoram Police."
The Mizoram Chief Minister had also shared a video and tweeted about an innocent couple on their way back to Mizoram via Cachar being "manhandled and ransacked by thugs and goons." " How are you going to justify these violent acts? Shri Amit Shah ji....kindly look into the matter. This needs to be stopped right now," he wrote.
Taking note of this tweet, Assam Chief Minister responded by alleging that civilians from Mizoram are trying to incite violence in the state.
"Hon'ble Zoramthanga ji, could you please investigate why are civilians from Mizoram holding sticks and trying to incite violence? We urge civilians to not take up law and order on their own hands and permit peaceful dialogue to take place between governments @AmitShah @PMOIndia", tweeted Sarma.
Sarma later spoke to the Mizoram Chief Minister and reiterated that Assam will maintain status quo and peace between the borders of both the states. "I have expressed my willingness to visit Aizawl and discuss these issues if need be," he tweeted.
Meanwhile, according to sources, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday spoke to Chief Ministers of both states asking them to resolve the crisis.
The two chief ministers have agreed on Shah's request and the police forces of both states have now returned back from the disputed site, sources said.
At the chief ministers' meeting, chaired by Shah in Shillong on Saturday, Zoramthanga said the area claimed by the latter has been used by people from Mizoram for over 100 years.
"The border disputes are a legacy of the colonial era that the present government inherited from its predecessor which has been left unresolved at the time of the formation of states like Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram," he said.
"The large tract of areas claimed by Assam to be within its constitutional boundary has been used for collection of forest producers and for shifting and settled cultivation for the past 100 plus years by the people of Mizoram, and that Assam started claiming these areas only fairly recently due to population pressure apparently caused by the large-scale influx of migrants from outside Barak valley," he said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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