Border row explodes as Mizoram Police file FIR against Assam CM Himanta over July 26 clash

In a massive escalation of the border row, the Mizoram Police registered an FIR against Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma over the clash that took place on Monday. Besides Sarma, Assam IGP Anurag Aggarwal, Cachar DIG Devojyoti Mukherjee, Cachar SP Chandrakant Nimbalkar, Dholai Police Station officer-in-charge Sahab Uddin and 200 unidentified Assam Police personnel were booked on the complaint of an inspector in the Vairengte Police Station. Interestingly, while the FIR was filed on July 26, it came to light only on Friday evening.

They have been booked under Sections 34(common intention), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 270(act likely to spread infectious disease), 307(attempt to murder), 325(voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 326(voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons), 334(Voluntarily causing hurt on provocation), 336(act endangering life), 353(assault to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 448(punishment for house-trespass) of the IPC, Section 3 of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation and Section 3 of the Mizoram Containment and Prevention of Covid-19 Act and Section 27(1)(a) of the Arms Act.

As per the FIR, around 200 Assam Police personnel came to the Mizoram border outpost in Vairengte on Monday and tried to "forcibly" occupy it citing that it was an "encroachment" on the Forest Reserve. It claimed that the officers from Assam intended to construct a camp there on the "instructions" of Himanta Biswa Sarma himself despite the Kolasib SP's attempt to have a healthy dialogue. Moreover, the FIR alleged that the Mizoram Police personnel fired back at their Assam counterparts only after the latter opened fire also targeting civilians in the process.

The Assam-Mizoram border clash

According to the Assam government, the trigger for the clash on Monday was Mizoram breaching the existing status quo by commencing the construction of a road towards Rengti Basti thus "destroying" the Inner Line Forest Reserve in the Lailapur area besides building an armed camp in the same vicinity. It claimed that the Mizoram Police opened fire on the Assam officials and civilians with automatic weapons including LMGs which resulted in the death of 6 police officials and left over 50 persons injured. Subsequently, the MHA ordered the deployment of the CRPF at the site of the clash.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to the Assam CM and Mizoram CM Zoramthanga who agreed to withdraw their police forces from the site. On July 27, the Assam Police filed an FIR regarding the incident under Sections 120(B),302,307,333,336,379 and 447 of the Indian Penal Code read with Section 25(1-A) of the Arms Act and Section 3 of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. Furthermore, the Assam Police prepared a picture gallery of Mizoram Police personnel and civilian miscreants responsible for initiating the violence. 

(With PTI inputs)