Assam to protect border with all its might: Himanta Biswa Sarma

GUWAHATI/SILCHAR/AIZAWL: Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said Assam will protect its constitutional boundary with Mizoram with all its might.
Sarma said this after Mizo miscreants allegedly triggered 2-3 blasts near the Assam-Mizoram border in wee hours on Sunday. He said the Assam Police won't be cowed down by such tactics.
"The Assam-Mizoram border situation has remained tense for the last six months. The situation has not improved as we had expected. But in last one month, we have ensured that no one from Mizoram side can intrude into Assam," Sarma told the media in Guwahati on Sunday. He said an additional DGP-rank officer and several senior Assam Police officers are currently camping along the inter-state border. "At present, not even a single inch of Assam land can be encroached upon by others. We have constructed border outposts and roads along the border to protect the constitutional boundary," the CM said.
He said that on Saturday, two to three bomb blasts occurred near the border but these were inside the Mizoram territory. "Perhaps, somebody thought that Assam Police can be driven away by triggering such blasts. Mizoram Police will definitely probe the incidents but Assam Police force do not have any plan to retreat," Sarma said. A senior Assam Police officer on Sunday said sounds of two blasts were heard coming from the Mizoram side at 2.40am and 2.43am. The CRPF, which is a neutral force deployed at Khulicherra Point-II, has been asked to probe into the suspected blasts in Mizoram territory. However, no casualty has been reported.
The officer said that additional director general of police (Border) Harmeet Singh, SP Nimbalkar Vaibhav Chandrakant, officer in-charge of Dholai police station along with other officials have rushed to the spot and were camping at the temporary BOP at Khulicherra, 6.5 kms from the Mizoran border inside Assam territory. The attacks by Mizo miscreants led to tension in Khulicherra locality under Dholai assembly constituency of Assam, sources said. Mizoram has encroached up to 6.5km inside Assam land a few days ago. Following this, the Assam Police along with civil administration carried out an eviction drive. SP Nimbalkar said they have been keeping close watch over the situation and an alert is on along the interstate border.
In October 2020, miscreants from Mizoram bombed and destroyed the building of 990, Dhalakhla LP School in Cachar district. In November, Mizo miscreants damaged the Upper Painom upgraded LP School located in Upper Painom Village under Narsingpur education block of Cachar district. In February this year, Mizo miscreants bombed Muliala LP School at Kachurthol in Hailakandi district and torched several houses located within Assam territory.
Mizoram shares about 164.6 km long inter-state border with Assam. The border dispute between the two neighbouring states is a long-standing issue that persisted for decades.
Refuting the charges leveled against Mizoram side, Mizoram chief secretary Lalnunmawia Chuaungo on Sunday said that the "allegations" levelled by the Assam government that miscreants from Mizoram encroached Assam territory were completely false. Instead, he claimed, it was the other way around.
In a letter sent to additional secretary (NE), Union ministry of home affairs, Chuaungo said: "A few farmers of Buarchep village of Mizoram were pushed and harassed, their crops destroyed and new road constructed with excavators by Assam Police and officials with people from Assam yesterday."
Chuaungo alleged that Mizo farmers tried to protect their agricultural land and crops by putting up small barricades but were pulled down with the help of heavy equipment by Assam officials and police who were accompanied by residents of Assam administered side.