- Tuesday, April 16, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
TENSE border situation between the two north-eastern Indian states of Assam and Mizoram improved late on Saturday (7) when the economic blockade of Mizoram was lifted by the residents of Assam after more than four hours of talks between them and two ministers of the state and other officials.
Officials said following the lifting of the blockade, nine good trucks that were left stranded at Lailapur town in Assam’s Cachar district bordering Mizoram proceeded to that state on National Highway 306. The protesters withdrew the blockade after they were assured justice for six police personnel and a civilian from Assam who were killed in an alleged firing by policemen from Mizoram and armed civilians on July 26.
ALSO READ: Northeast India crisis: What’s the issue between Assam & Mizoram?
“The sentiment of the local people is very strong. They relented after a marathon 270 hours of discussion in the greater interest of relations between the two sister States and peace in the area,” Assam’s urban development minister Ashok Singhal told The Hindu on Sunday (8).
“Nine trucks moved to Mizoram on Saturday night but the other stranded heavy vehicles waited for daybreak to proceed,” Singhal, who is also the “Guardian Minister” of Cachar district, added.
Did Assam crackdown on drug mafia cause northeast India violence?
Singhal was joined by Assam’s environment and forest minister Parimal Suklabaidya, who is a local member of the state’s legislative assembly, and Cachar deputy commissioner Keerthi Jalli and superintendent of police Ramandeep Kaur.
The angry local people also threw stones at some of the Mizoram-bound trucks and vandalised them.
Northeast India crisis: Assam chief minister, officials booked
“For some reason, the vehicle started moving before the meeting ended. Efforts to pacify the people were fruitless until the SP calmed the mob,” a police officer at the police station at Lailapur, Assam’s last town, said.
Mizoram’s minister (independent charge) for rural development Lalruatkima thanked the government of Assam for speaking with the local people to lift the blockade, which could have made the state’s economic life worse, particularly in times of the pandemic.
“Vehicles carrying Covid-19 testing kits, reagents and other life-saving drugs had been stranded in Assam, forcing our government to cap sample testing based on the available stock,” he said.
Tension grew alarmingly between the two states in the wake of the July 26 violence with the political leaderships of both states bringing serious accusations against each other. The central government had to intervene to calm things down.
