SILCHAR: A day after a villager from Assam died in custody of Mizoram, Assam chief secretary Jishnu Barua and DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta visited Lailapur along the inter-state border to assess the situation on Tuesday.
Sources said both the officials spoke to locals and listened to their grievances even as people of the area continued their protest against Mizo “aggression,” “occupation” of Assam land and deployment of Mizo security forces in Assam areas.
Talking to the media, Barua and Mahanta said Assam would not part with an inch of its territory. “Assam won’t give up its constitutional boundary with the neighbour. The land belongs to us. There is no second opinion about our constitutional boundary,” said Barua, adding that Assam wants the boundary row to be resolved peacefully and amicably.
The chief secretary said the state government is in constant touch with the central government at the highest level on the border row and exuded optimism that the problem would be resolved amicably.
Earlier in the day, Mizoram Police handed over the body of Intazul Laskar (48) to Assam Police. The body was later sent to Silchar Medical Collage and Hospital for autopsy. At 6.30 pm, the body was handed over to his family members. Minister for environment and forest Parimal Suklabaidya, who was also present at the spot, handed over a cheque for Rs 5 lakh as ex gratia to Intazul’s father.
While Intiaz’s family alleged that he died in custody of Mizoram Police after being forcibly taken away, the Mizoram government in a statement said Intiaz was found dead in a government hospital on Monday morning where he was admitted for a checkup by the state’s excise and narcotics department that had arrested him on charges of selling drugs.
Speaking to the locals, Suklabaidya said the state government will institute an inquiry into the incident and is mulling to hand over the case to National Investigation Agency (NIA). The minister asked people living close to the inter-state border not to cross over to the other side in view of the prevailing situation and told them that three border outposts would come up permanently for their safety and protection.
In the meanwhile, the economic blockade by Lailapur residents against Mizoram entered the 7th day on Tuesday with hundreds of goods-laden trucks stranded on NH-306 connecting Silchar with Mizoram. DSP (Cachar) Bhargav Sanjeevan Goswami said no vehicles moved to Mizoram on Tuesday, too. “There’s an undercurrent of tension along the inter-state border. However, the situation is under control and there is no report of any fresh incident on Tuesday,” the DSP said.