Himanta Biswa Sarma takes Gandhian route; “We will die to save our land but not open fire at countrymen”

“Five laid lives to save the land of Assam to save the forest of our country. We will keep dying but we will not give away our land. We will resist and retreat and not open fire at countrymen. Assam is a responsible state that will behave responsibly.” After ceremonial salute to the five martyrs of Assam Police, this is what the chief minister of Assam said.

He announced a compensation of Rs 50 lakh for each Jawan killed yesterday during the Mizo onslaught. 42 wounded during in the line of fire will get Rs. 1 lakh each. Himanta Biswa Sarma said that he has had multiple discussions with his Mizo counterpart Zoramthanga. “We were trying to broker peace through dialogues. I welcomed his invitation to visit Aizawl and said I will travel whenever he says. In fact, I was planning to do so today. But then the fire was opened from Mizoram and the dynamics changed. The moment they opened fired, I called him and urged him to stop it immediately. He responded saying sorry, sorry and that is where our conversation ended,” said Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Five security personnel got killed in Assam within the territory of India but the Home Minister, Amit Shah, who is very active on social media is yet to make a comment. “The Home Minister called me many times before the fire was opened and we discussed the matter after too. He is concerned about the situation,” says Sarma. The dispute began with a post that the Mizoram Police has setup within the territory of Assam in Lailapur. “The Home Minister instructed us let CRPF take over the post and we followed the instructions. However, we have reports that the Mizo forces are still at the post and therefore, once again they have refused to follow the centre’s instructions,” asserted Sarma.

He reiterated that Assam will follow “Restraint but not retreat,” strategy. More men will be deployed in Mizoram – Assam border in all three districts but state Government will not give order to open fire,” informed the CM. He is of the view that there are civilians on the other side and the Law of the land does not permit Police to firs at “innocent civilians”.

But how are civilians with automatic weapons like machine guns and assault rifles attacking Assam’s men in uniform innocent civilians. “See, how they got arms is a matter of investigation and we will investigate it. Civilians with arms and ammunition is not healthy for peace and prosperity of Mizoram either. Today they are killing Assam Police officials but tomorrow they will attack Mizoram Police,” said CM.

Zoramthanga of Mizo National Front Party is an ally of BJP in North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA). Both are admirers of Amit Shah and flag bearers of National Democratic Alliance in the region. “This is not a political issue. It is a long standing boundary dispute between the two states and we are not counting votes at the moment. When Congress was in power in both the states, the dispute was still there,” Sarma’s rebuttal. He hinted that the state will follow Centre’s instructions and maintain Status Quo. “We will follow the law of the land but I want to assure the residents of the state that even at the cost of more lives, we will secure our land and not let an inch of encroachment,” says Sarma.

Continuing a ‘Gandhian’ approach, he adds, “Even if they fire at the heart of Cachar or Guwahati claiming it to be their land, we will resist and not fire back as that is something we cannot do as a law abiding state,” Sarma rules out an armed response. “I will personally see to it that there is no economic blockade disrupting the supplying chain to Mizoram as the state does not have any other gateways. In fact, I have issued an order urging Assam Police to provide security to the Mizo people living in Assam. Our goal is to maintain peace,” said the CM.

Though the chief minister said that yesterday’s incident will be investigated and the guilty will be punished, such assurances in the past did not yield any results. Last year, two schools were bombed, 20 houses and dwellings were set ablaze, a man was killed in the custody of Mizoram after he was manhandled by the mob. Not a single individual got arrested so far. Sarma made it clear that the ball lies in the court of Central Home Ministry.