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"Where there is peace?" Assam Minister belligerent on Mizoram border issue

"Where there is peace?" Assam Minister belligerent on Mizoram border issue

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LAILAPUR: Ashok Singhal, the Guardian Minister of Assam's Cachar district, erupted on the Mizoram issue during an interaction with the media today.

"Where there is peace? Mizoram police fired on Assam police personnel with LMGs and 6 of them got martyred," Singhal told media, reacting to a query.

"Mizoram should understand that we have to stay together -- our Chief Minister kept telling them that we can resolve the border issue through talks. He even said that we are willing to accept the status quo up until April 1 of 2020."

Singhal, upon being asked about Mizoram Student Union's threat to take up arms, said, "What Mizoram student union writes will not decide the destiny of Assam. Somebody threatens us -- what should we do? We should bow down? We should surrender our land??"

Stating that Assam sees that Mizoram as a "younger brother", Singhal said that Mizoram won't be allowed to get away with "bullying."

Both Assam and Mizoram have agreed to withdraw their respective Police forces and a neutral central force will be deployed along the disturbed region where five policemen and a civilian were killed following a violent clash recently.

According to reports, Central paramilitary troops will be deployed at the disputed border site till a permanent solution is found.

Both the states came to an agreement after a two-hour long meeting chaired by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and attended by Assam Chief Secretary Jishnu Baruah and Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta and their respective Mizoram counterparts Lalnunmawia Chuaungo and SBK Singh.

Singhal also weighed in on accusations that the media is not being allowed entry to the conflict-torn area.

Answering a question along those lines by InsideNE, Singhal said, "The way of the incident...the way it was fired on Assam police using LMG it is unprecedented. Nowhere it has happened in the country -- civilians have sustained injuries. And one police force firing LMG on a friend state police force is unthinkable and unimaginable. How can we put our own citizens and allow them to go there."

Pressed why only a select few media organizations are being allowed access, Singhal countered by saying that yesterday all media people were allowed. "Today what has happened I don't know -- let me check."

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Edited By: Admin
Published On: Jul 29, 2021