This Article is From Jul 11, 2021

Grenade Blast Raises Tension Amid Interstate Assam-Mizoram Border Dispute

Cachar district police chief Nimbalkar Vaibhav Chandrakant, who was accompanying the official team, said no one was injured in the blast

Grenade Blast Raises Tension Amid Interstate Assam-Mizoram Border Dispute

The grenade was detonated when officials were on the inter-state border area (Representational)

Guwahati:

Hours after a meeting of the chief secretaries of Assam and Mizoram over state border troubles, a grenade was triggered along the inter-state border on Saturday when senior officials were visiting the areas, officials said.

According to the Assam Police, a grenade was detonated inside Mizoram territory when senior Assam officials including Additional Director General of Police (Border) Harmeet Singh and Cachar Deputy Commissioner Keerthi Jalli were visiting the interstate bordering areas.

Cachar district police chief Nimbalkar Vaibhav Chandrakant, who was accompanying the official team, said no one was injured in the blast.

"Some people belonging to Mizoram are always trying to encroach upon Assam territories, and putting up obstructions when Assam officials and workers are undertaking development work. We have from time to time informed this to Mizoram, but these illegal activities are going on," Mr Chandrakant told reporters.

People living in areas along the Assam-Mizoram inter-state border said they have been living there for decades, but now the people of Assam accompanied by police are allegedly trying to evict them.

Central paramilitary forces are maintaining security on both sides of the inter-state border since trouble began in October last year.

An official in Aizawl said Mizoram Chief Secretary Lalnunmawia Chuaungo and his Assam counterpart Jishnu Baruah on Friday met in Delhi in the presence of Home Ministry officials.

The Mizoram Chief Secretary has sought time for further consultations. The Assam Chief Secretary, after the meeting, told reporters in Delhi that both sides have agreed to certain issues but the Mizoram government sought some more time.

"We expect to sign an agreement in our next meeting after resolving the inter-state border issues," Mr Baruah said.

Since October last year, several inter-state border skirmishes have taken place along the Assam-Mizoram border and over 50 people have been injured and more than 25 houses and shops had been set on fire on the Assam side.

An Assam government school was damaged due to a massive blast triggered by unknown people from Mizoram side last year.

Following the intervention of Home Minister Amit Shah, central paramilitary forces were deployed along the border to prevent fresh troubles after a series of clashes and blockades on the National Highway last October.

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