'Respect Constitutional boundary, no brazen encroachment'

'Ensure to respect that whatever is within the Constitutional boundaries (of the two states) is not to be encroached upon brazenly by anyone.'

An understanding has been arrived at between Assam and Mizoram at the meeting chaired by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla on Wednesday, July 28, in Delhi, with senior officials from Mizoram and Assam, in the aftermath of the July 26 firing between the police forces of the two states over a longstanding land dispute, Assam Chief Secretary Jishnu Barua tells Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com.

"There was a meeting in Delhi (on July 28, in Delhi) and as a follow up to the meeting (confidence building) measures are being taken," Barua says over the phone from Dispur, the state capital.

"In the meantime we (both Assam and Mizoram) will abide by the understanding that we have arrived at in Delhi, and that is placing the central forces on National Highway 306," Barua adds.

Three companies of the Central Reserve Police Force have been deployed around Ground Zero along the Cachar-Hailakandi border where the unfortunate firing took place on July 26 between police personnel of the two states.

As expected, the chief ministers and administration officials from both states have been pointing fingers at each other over who started the firing.

The firing between the police personnel of the two states on July 26 had led to death of five Assam police personnel and over 50 were injured.

The firing took place just two days after Union Home Minister Amit Anilchandra Shah chaired a high-level meeting of chief ministers of all northeastern states where land disputes between various northeastern states was also discussed.

Intermittent tension among the residents and police personnel posted by the two states along the Cachar and Hailakandi districts in Assam and Mizoram respectively have been on the rise since October 2020 which culminated in the death of the five Assam police personnel on July 26.

Talking about one of important measures to be taken by both states, Barua says, "One of the steps is to ensure to respect that whatever is within the Constitutional boundaries (of the two states) is not to be encroached upon brazenly by anyone."

According to Barua the chief ministers of the two states are likely to meet "soon" to further engage with each other and chalk out further confidence building measures.

"It is expected that the two chief ministers will be meeting soon," he added.

"The Union home minister has advised us to maintain peace," says Barua, "and these are internal matters and we should be able to resolve it amicably."