NEW DELHI: The inter-state boundary dispute between Assam and
Mizoram saw a rare faceoff on
Twitter between their chief ministers who sought to blame each other’s police and people for the tension in Cachar. The Centre, meanwhile, tried to de-escalate the matter by directly engaging with the two state chief ministers and advising them to resolve the border issue peacefully.
As the Mizo border residents in Cachar gathered amid what their chief minister described as “Mizoram-Assam border tension”, Zoramthanga put out a tweet: “Shri @AmitShah ji…kindly look into the matter…this has to be stopped right now”.
He also put up a video of a battered car, tweeting: “Innocent couple on their way back to Mizoram via Cachar manhandled and ransacked by thugs and goons. How are you going to justify these violent acts”.
Soon after, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma joined issue on Twitter, quoting Zoramthanga’s aforesaid tweet to ask: “…Could you please investigate why are civilians from Mizoram holding sticks and trying to incite violence? We urge civilians to not take up law and order on (sic) in their own hands and permit peaceful dialogue to take place between governments".
He further tweeted, tagging Amit Shah and PMO: "Kolasib (Mizoram) SP is asking us to withdraw from our post until then their civilians won’t listen nor stop violence. How can we run government in such circumstances”.
Zoramthanga followed with the tweet: “…After cordial meeting of CMs by Hon’ble Shri @AmitShah ji, surprisingly 2 companies of Assam Police with civilians lathicharged and tear gassed civilians at Vairengte Auto Rickshaw stand inside Mizoram today. They even overrun
CRPF personnel/Mizoram Police”.
As the altercation played on Twitter, home minister Amit Shah stepped in to cool down tempers by calling up the two chief ministers and advising them to resolve the issue peacefully and get their respective police forces to step back from the site.
Assam CM tweeted at 4.36 pm that he had spoken to Zoramthanga and that he “reiterated that Assam will maintain status quo and peace between the borders of our state”. “I have expressed my willingness to visit Aizawl and discuss these issues if need be,” he added, again tagging @AmitShah and @PMO India.
Zoramthanga quoted Sarma’s tweet to say: “As discussed, I kindly urge that Assam police be instructed to withdraw from Vairengte for the safety of civilians”.
While a channel of communication was opened with the intervention of the Centre, it seems the situation in Cachar took a turn for the worse before the home minister’s advice could percolate to forces on the ground. As Sarma later tweeted, six personnel of the Assam police were killed in the violent skirmish that followed. A source in Assam government told TOI that Mizoram police had unleashed "machine gun" fire on Assam police personnel.
The situation along the Mizoram-Assam border has been on the boil since June-end when Assam Police allegedly took control over an area known as 'Aitlanghnar' about 5 km from Vairengte, accusing Mizoram of encroaching on its territory.