Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawala on Monday wrote to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh seeking his intervention in the Mizoram-Assam border dispute so that peace is restored at the earliest.
Lal Thanhawla asked Home Minister Singh to intervene for resumption of border talks at the earliest, Press Advisor to the Chief Minister L R Sailo said.
The Mizoram chief minister in the letter described the alleged firing by the Assam Police on Mizo youths as “unfortunate and uncalled for”, Sailo said.
Lal Thanhawla said that there had been border disputes with Assam like other such instances with neighbouring states which sometimes culminated into violent clashes causing hardships especially to those in the fringe areas.
Chief secretaries of the two states had held talks on the border dispute in 1995-96 and it was then decided that the talks should be taken up at the chief ministers’ level, he said.
“Unfortunately, the chief minister of Assam declined,” Lal Thanhawla said.
The Mizoram Congress legislature party last night passed a resolution to send state police personnel to occupy the land at Zophai area near the Mizoram-Assam border town of Bairabi, a party leader said.
Protestors from the Mizoram had clashed with the Assam Police in Bairabi, he said.
Members of the meeting chaired by Lal Thanhawla, who is also the CLP leader, felt that the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) or Mizo Students Federation should be allowed to build a guest house on the land belonging to the first chief minister of Mizoram Ch Chhunga, the Congress leader said.
The land was donated to the student organisation by his widow, he said.
The Mizoram Police had alleged on Saturday that a Mizo student was injured in firing by the Assam Police at Zopui in Kolasib district.