Work Stopped! Armed Mizos push Assam Police back; "Matter being discussed at the top level," SP

After Lailapur, now the Mizo armed civilians supported by their armed forces have started to stake a claim on Khulicherra area. They have obstructed officials on Government duty and launched an assault on them yesterday. Today, the Mizo civilians have stopped the Assam Police personnel and forced them to retreat from their own land. The Mizos have built several camps and now, according to them, this is an area that belongs to Mizoram. However, the government of Assam commissioned construction work that was going on lies more than five kilometres within the constitutional boundary of Assam.

The Superintendent of Police, Ramandeep Kaur, as told to Barak Bulletin yesterday, went to the spot to provide security to the labourers at work. To her dismay, when she trekked the muddy steeps to reach the spot, she saw a group of Mizos camping there. “They obstructed right away and said that the construction work won’t be allowed. We have reported the matter to the top level and it is being discussed at the top level. We will follow the instructions,” said Ramandeep Kaur.

She added, “The work has been stopped for now and will restart as per the orders we get from the top level.”

She was accompanied by the DFO of Cachar. The Survey of India toposheet clearly demarcates the area within Assam. “Mizos have encroached a kilometre within the territory of Assam and stopped the work,” said Tejas Mariswamy, DFO, Cachar.

He added, “The work under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) was going on with the constitutional boundary of Assam and the obstruction is unauthorised. We have reported it to the top level in the state and they are looking into the matter.”

According to the DFO’s assessment, “1000 hectares of Cachar’s forest land is now under the control of Mizoram. They have encroached and camped.”

As per our correspondent, the Mizo civilians misbehaved with the Assam Police personnel who went to the spot today morning. Throughout the altercation with Mizoram, the Assam government followed a “Resist and Retreat” strategy. Even after the death of six Assam Police personnel, the strategy remains the same. The Police officers, DCs, DFOs are sent to the spot with their hands tied for them to return after getting humiliated by the locals who are miscreants at best and armed terrorists at worse. While all that happens, the state’s political leadership, as well as the bureaucracy, withdraw investigations against the Mizos. A former SP, who was sent with hands tied, now finds himself in the hospital with bullet injuries.

“We will not fire at our countrymen. More of our men will die, more will get martyred while protecting our land, but we will not open fire at our fellow countrymen,” this is what chief minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma said after he paid ceremonial salute to five Assam Police personnel at Silchar’s SP Office. Irony is, the post where six of the Assam Police personnel were killed is now under complete control of Mizoram. Today, they have staked claim over another territory. So, men are dying and at the same time, Assam is giving away the land too.