Cooperate to resolve dispute, both states told

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma pays tribute to police personnel who lost their lives in border clashes. The state announced three-day mourning. PTI

Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 27

Even as uneasy calm prevails along the Assam-Mizoram border where five police personnel lost their lives yesterday during violent clashes, Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla has called a meeting of chief secretaries and DGPs of the two states on Wednesday to work out a peace formula.

Editorial: Assam-Mizoram feud

In a statement in Parliament today, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said interstate border disputes would only be resolved with the cooperation of the state governments involved and the Centre would play the role of a facilitator. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma today said his government would approach the Supreme Court for the protection of inner line forest reserve from destruction and encroachment and deploy 4,000 commandos along the border with Mizoram to make sure that “not an inch of Assam’s land is encroached by the neighbouring state”. Sarma said, “Satellite images have shown that roads are being constructed and forests cleared for jhum cultivation along the border which cannot be allowed. We will move the Supreme Court to ensure that the forests are protected. Also, we will deploy 4,000 commandos.”

CRPF DG chairs meet

CRPF Director General Kuldiep Singh chairs a meeting with officials of the force to chart out a strategy for peace in the area

Sources in the CRPF said they were trying to bring back normalcy in the violence-hit area. CRPF Director General Kuldiep Singh today chaired a meeting with senior officials of the force to chart out a strategy to maintain peace in the area, they said. It is learnt that the DG also briefed the Union Home Secretary on the prevailing situation along the interstate border.

Meanwhile, two battalions of the CRPF have taken control of the situation in the trouble-hit area after Union Home Minister Amit Shah intervened and spoke to the CMs of both states, asking them to disengage and maintain peace.