Mizoram police personnel, who was arrested by Assam Police on Friday over a bomb blast on the Mizoram-Assam border, has been released on bail and was brought to Mizoram on Saturday, a police officer said.
Laldintluanga Ralte, a constable in the India Reserve Police’s 1st Battalion was picked up by the Assam police on Friday from the border area over his alleged involvement in the low-intensity blast that took place near Bairabi town in Kolasib district on Friday around 1:30 am.
The incident came over 3 months after a violent clash between Mizoram police and their Assam counterpart that led to the death of six cops and a civilian on July 26.
The officer-in-charge of Bairabi Police station Lalrinhlua said that Ralte was sent on Friday to inspect and verify the blast, which occurred about 100 metres from the Mizoram police duty post.
Soon after he (Ralte) reached the spot during daytime, the Assam police who were already present there suddenly arrested him and accused him of possessing explosives, he said.
Later, he was taken to Ramnathpur police station in Assam, Lalrinhlua said.
He denied the allegation that Ralte carried explosives and was involved in the blast.
“The constable did not carry any explosives nor he was involved in the blast. He did not even carry weapons when he had gone to inspect the blast wearing police fatigue,” he said.
He blamed the Assam police for not informing the arrest.
“The Assam police did not intimate us about the arrest of Ralte. Later, we enquired among ourselves and the locals from whom we knew that he has been arrested and taken to the nearby police station,” Lalrinhlua said.
He alleged that he had made phone calls to Assam police officials several times but they refused to respond.
Soon after Ralte’s arrest was learned, Mizoram police team rushed to Ramnathpur police to only find that he has been sent to Hailakandi.
Ralte was released on bail on Saturday evening and brought to Bairabi the same night, the police officer said.
He was booked under sections 447 (criminal trespass) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC, he said.
Meanwhile, a blockade staged by functionaries of Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) on the road linking Bairabi town and Hailakandi district was lifted with the release of Ralte on Saturday night.
In another incident, a resident of Mizoram was allegedly killed by miscreants from Assam in an alleged robbery near Kolalian village in Mamit district on the state border with Assam.
According to Mamit additional SP Zoramthanga, the incident occurred in early Friday morning when the victim Lalfakawma (26), a resident of Chuhvel in Mamit district went to the border area along with his three friends to buy cattle from a seller in Assam, from whom they had bought cattle before.
Though both sides agreed to hand over the cattle during day time on Friday, the seller asked them to come before dawn as he need the money urgently and sought their help citing the cattle were not willing to walk, he said.
After crossing the Mizoram border by a pickup truck, the four Mizoram villagers walked until they were attacked by around 7 miscreants, who were armed with guns and daggers, he said.
Lalfakawma died on the spot, while his three friends managed to escape but two of them got injured, he said.
One of the injured Lalduhoma was sent to Aizawl and his condition is stable now, Zoramthara said.
He said that a case had been registered at Kanhmun police station and the investigation is on.