Tension along border escalates again; Assam Police fire on Mizoram civilians: Official

TIL Desk/National/NE/ Tension along the Mizoram-Assam border escalated again on Tuesday when personnel of the Assam police allegedly fired on civilians of the neighbouring state injuring one, an official said. The incident occurred three weeks after a violent clash between police forces of the two North-eastern states left seven people dead and over 50 injured on July 26 and a process of rapprochement is on.

Seven people including six Assam police personnel were killed and over 50 others injured in the clash between forces of the two North-eastern states on July 26 and a process of rapprochement is on.  One person was injured in the firing by Assam Police personnel who were guarding the inter-state border, he claimed.

Mizoram’s Kolasib district Deputy Commissioner H Lalthlangliana said that the incident occurred at around 2 am at the disputed Aitlang area bordering Assam’s Hailakandi district. Three residents of Vairengte town went there to collect meat from a friend, a resident of Bilaipur in Assam, who invited them to come.

While Mizoram alleged that personnel of the Assam police fired on its civilians injuring one, the neighbouring state claimed that the men in uniform only returned the fire after miscreants from the other side of the border sprayed bullets on them. Hailakandi Superintendent of Police Gaurav Upadhyay said that an exchange of firing took place but declined to share details. “No casualty has been reported on both sides,” he said.