Mizo Forces Will Not Be Withdrawn from Assam Border: Lalchamliana

Mizoram home minister Lalchamliana said the state government will not withdraw its forces from the border with Assam till normalcy returns.

The home minister's assertion came a day after the Cachar district administration asked the Mizoram government to withdraw its forces from the border areas.

Lalchamliana, while speaking to media reiterated that the Mizoram government accepted the demarcation notified in 1875 under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) of 1873 as the actual boundary of Mizoram and Assam.

It was a historical boundary of the state which has been accepted since the forefathers of Mizos, he said.

Allegations have been made by Lalchamliana that some local residents of Lailapur observed blockade on National Highway 306 at Lailapur and the highways linking Mizoram's Bairabi village with Assam's Hailakandi district and Medili side in Mizoram's Mamit district since Wednesday as instigated by Assam officials.

The minister expressed regret over the blockade, saying that the issue is on border dispute and it should not be given communal colour.

"People on either side of the borders should live in harmony as the present issue is not a communal issue but the border standoff entirely rests on governments of the two neighbouring states," he said.

Lalchamliana also said the state government is making massive efforts to ensure that the supply of essential commodities is not disrupted.

Meanwhile, the Cachar district administration on Thursday urged the truckers to start the movement of vehicles to Mizoram.

An official statement said Sonai circle officer Sudeep Nath visited Lailapur, close to the Assam-Mizoram border on Thursday and held discussion with the local residents and truck drivers, who are unwilling to ply their vehicles to Mizoram.