The Mizoram government has described as “serious” the situation of the disputed border areas with Assam, and urged the neighbouring state to hold talks to reduce tension.
Mizoram Chief Secretary Arvind Ray, in a letter, to Alok Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary of Assam, on Saturday evening proposed that the two deputy commissioners of Kolasib district in Mizoram and Hailakandi district in Assam should hold talks before March 15 to normalise the situation.
Ray and Kumar also had a telephonic conversation on the matter yesterday.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal talked to his Mizoram counterpart Lal Thanhawla on the matter, and suggested that both the sides withdraw from the disputed site.
The Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), comprising Mizoram’s apex student body leaders and activists, have been camping in the disputed area with an attempt to construct a rest house inside the land of the first Mizoram chief minister Ch Chhunga following the latter’s wife donating the land to the student organisation.
While the Mizoram Police claimed that a Mizo student was injured in firing by Assam Police at Zopui, the Assam Police denied the charge saying that they had only pushed back the intruders from Hailakandi yesterday.