DC, DFO Cachar under direct attack of Mizoram’s bureaucracy; IR Battalion still present in Assam

Principal Secretary Revenue and Environment, PCCF and HOFF, PCCF Wildlife, CCF Central Assam, CCF Southern Assam along with DC Cachar Keerthi Jalli and DFO Cachar Sunnydeo Choudhury were confronted by BSF Jawans and other forces when they went to the Assam-Mizoram border to take stock of the situation.

“We went to look into the Forest areas of Inner Line Reserve Forest. We were stopped by BSF and Mizoram IR Batellion from proceeding forward at Kulicherra area,” said DC Cachar Keerthi Jalli.

She added, “However upon speaking to SP Kolasib, we visited the area up-to Phainum Village Church bridge. Mizoram Batallion forces were supposed to be withdrawn but there seems to be some presence still.”

While DC Cachar and the delegation including the principal secretary to the Government of Assam’s Forest and Revenue departments, Avinash Joshi was well within the territory of Assam and jurisdiction of Cachar district, the Mizoram government has lodged an attack on DC and DFO Cachar.

If sources in Mizoram Secretariat are to be believed, then several officers have written multiple letters to the Union Home Ministry complaining about DC Cachar Keerthi Jalli. It is believed that she has been targeted personally in order to force her to step back. However, the sources in Mizoram are of the view that those letters to Delhi are not making any difference to DC Keerthi Jalli.

“The trek to the Atlang Zau was an extreme step taken by DC Cachar. By doing so she has been provoking a reaction,” said a senior officer in Aizawl.

The officer shared a letter written by DC Kolasib H LalthanglianaI to the DC Cachar. In this letter, DC Kolasib has marked Chief Secretary of Mizoram and wrote, “I would like to remind you that the visit of these borders by top Government Officials only cause unnecessary tensions and disturb the peace and harmony of the locals and therefore, request you to kindly avoid it in the future.”

While the chief secretary of Mizoram Lalnunmawia Chuaungo and other senior officers accept that the areas the delegation from Assam is visiting are all withing the boundary of Assam as earmarked by the Survey of India, they are of the view that the map in itself is just a “piece of drawing on a paper.” The chief secretary, in an interview with Barak Bulletin has also said the same.

Now when the DC and DFO of Cachar district are under direct attack from the Mizoram bureaucracy, it remains to be seen how they react.

On the other hand, a professor of GC College feels these frequent visits to the border is essential in order to reclaim the land encroached by Mizoram. “It is clear that a major chunk of Assam’s territory has been encroached by Mizoram. We have read that they have cut trees and constructed temporary establishments. If the Cachar administration, especially the forest department does not visit these areas and keep claiming it to be within Assam’s territory, the state will lose its control on those land.”

The professor added, “The government of Assam, must make a plan and start dominating the area. So far, the state has just been reciprocating.”