Assam govt withdraws Mizoram travel advisory following joint statement to work towards border peace

GUWAHATI: The Assam government on Thursday withdrew its travel advisory asking people not to travel to Mizoram following violence along the interstate border, officials said.

An order issued by the Home and Political Department's Commissioner and Secretary M S Mannivannan said in view of the joint statement by the representatives of the governments of Assam and Mizoram, "the travel advisory issued on July 29 is withdrawn".

Earlier in the day, the Mizoram and Assam governments agreed to find a lasting solution to the century-old boundary dispute and take measures, including resuming interstate vehicular movement and keeping respective police forces off the conflict areas, to de-escalate tension.

Representatives of the two states held a meeting in Aizawl to bring back normalcy along the interstate border, where an uneasy calm prevails after six Assam Police personnel and one civilian were killed and 50 others injured in a clash between security forces on July 26.

After the meeting, Assam's Border Area Development Minister Atul Bora, who headed the state's delegation, told reporters that both sides have agreed to maintain peace along the boundary.

"Both the states have welcomed the deployment of neutral forces in the disputed areas and agreed not to send their respective police forces for patrolling, domination, enforcement or fresh deployment to any of the areas where confrontation and conflict have taken place between police forces of the two states in recent times," a joint statement issued by the two states said.

The statement was signed by Bora, his department's Commissioner and Secretary G D Tripathi, and Mizoram's Home Minister Lalchamliana and Home Secretary Vanlalngathsaka.