"Common people don't bomb schools" DIG South Assam, MP Rajdeep Roy condemns Mizo-aggression

Two neighbouring states, Assam and Mizoram are in loggerheads in what is certainly the biggest interstate border scuffle in recent times in the Northeast. After marathon meetings between the Department of Home of the two state governments and the Home Ministry of the Central government, peace was promised and expected.

However, the ground reality turned out to be something totally different. Mizo miscreants targeted other bordering regions and started setting up camps. In Lailapur itself, where armed miscreants with the help of forces in Mizoram encroached up to three kilometres inside Assam’s Cachar district, tension prevails.

A couple of days back, a lower primary school established by the government of Assam in 1971 was bombed. The entire school has been demolished. The locals allege that this was done by the Mizo miscreants with the help of their forest battalion. After enquiry, the Assam government has confirmed that the school was indeed bombed by miscreants.

“A case has been registered against the crime,” said DIG – Assam’s Southern Range, Dilip Dey. He added, “Bomb blast is a crime of trained criminals, common people cannot detonate a bomb. In the meeting, peace was promised and the government of Mizoram assured that it will withdraw the forces and retreat from Assam’s territory. They still have illegal camps in various places across the border. However, we have provided escort and secured the passage of 1200 trucks to Mizoram, each carrying essential goods.”

Member of parliament. Silchar, Rajdeep Roy has made a statement on this devastating act. “I strongly condemn the Mizoram Government’s patronage in destroying school run by Govt. of Assam since 1971 at Lailapur border under my constituency. The lies spread by the Mizo Government’s machinery and its police force has been proved. The location of the school is in Assam. ( 24°28’48.8″N 92°47’13.6″E Saihapui V, Assam 788120,” he shared on Facebook.

His post added, “This attitude of not honouring the Tripartite talks is not acceptable and amounts to contempt! The Assam govt’s attitude to solving the border dispute through talks should not be taken as its weakness. Appropriate action will follow at an appropriate time!”

From the very beginning, the Mizoram government has been aggressive. When the Assam government did not make any statement and just said it is holding talks at a higher level, the Mizoram government blamed Cachar and Karimganj District administrations for the tension. The Department of Home Affairs, Mizoram, through a press statement alleged that the deputy commissioners of Cachar and Karimganj were blocking supply of essential commodities to Mizoram by installing roadblocks.

However, when asked why thousands of trucks were parked on Assam’s side of the border, the drivers replied that they are scared of entering Mizoram after their peers were attacked.

After the meeting between the officers of two departments in the presence of Joint Secretary Home Affairs, Government of India Satyendra Garg who is also the in-charge of Northeast, a statement was issued. Gyanendra Tripathi, commissioner Home Affairs Assam, briefed the press as instructed by Garg. During his briefing, with his counterpart from Mizoram besides him, Tripathi said that the Government of Mizoram gave its consent to withdraw force and retreat from Assam’s territory. The same was shared by Assam’s Information and Public Relations Office.

However, the Mizoram Government later stated it as fake news. Following which Assam’s IPR officially retracted the press statement.

Now this bombing has exposed bigger loopholes in the relationship between the two states. How Assam Government responds to it, remains to be seen.