Days after border violence, Congress in Assam wants action against ‘Mizo aggression’

GUWAHATI: The Congress on Friday said Assam’s land was getting squeezed due to alleged encroachment by Mizoram.

The BJP rose to power in the state in 2016 by promising to protect “jati” (community), “mati” (land) and “bheti” (foundation).

Referring to frequent violent incidents on the inter-state border with Mizoram, Congress MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha told the Assam Assembly it was time the state government took some strong actions to save the state’s land.

“This government had promised to protect jati, mati, and bheti but we are steadily losing our land to Mizoram. Accompanied by policemen, the miscreants and students from Mizoram often raid the border villages in the Barak Valley and encroach upon our land. This has to stop. The state government has to take some firm actions,” the MLA from the valley told the House.

After encroaching upon Assam’s land, they carry out some construction and hoist the flag of their students’ organisation. They are taking advantage of Assam's laxity, he said.

Sujam Uddin Laskar, who too is an MLA from the valley, also drew the government’s attention to the issue. He urged the government to act before it was too late.

In his reply, Minister and government spokesman Chandra Mohan Patowary said the state government was alive to the situation.

“We don't want any confrontation but cooperation. We believe in peaceful co-existence. We had several rounds of discussions with the Mizoram government. We will sit again so the issue can be resolved amicably. Whenever they (miscreants) came, we put up a resistance,” the minister said.

The last of the incidents on the inter-state border took place on February 9 when the miscreants, allegedly from Mizoram, torched 21 houses at a village in the valley. Several others were also injured.

The incidents are taking place intermittently. Earlier, two schools inside Assam were bombed by miscreants from the neighbouring state. Mizoram’s Aizawl, Kolasib, and Mamit districts share a 164.6-km-long border with Assam’s Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj districts.

Assam is also embroiled in border disputes with Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh.