MHA convenes meeting of Chief Secys of Mizoram, Assam on border dispute

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has convened a meeting of the chief secretaries of Mizoram and Assam next week to resume dialogue on the boundary dispute between the two states in the wake of protests by students which turned violent recently.

This was conveyed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh to Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla, who had approached him seeking his intervention in the ongoing boundary dispute between Mizoram and Assam by resuming the talks and ensuring peace along the border.

Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba will meet the chief secretaries of Mizoram and Assam and carry forward the dialogues on boundary dispute, a home ministry official said.

In his communication, the home minister also urged the Mizoram chief minister to ensure peace in the Mizoram side of the border and not to allow people to gather at Bairabi and stage protests there.

The ministry is in constant touch with the governments of Assam and Mizoram, the official said.

The state governments were asked to take appropriate steps to ensure law and order, prevent the situation from escalating and bring the situation under control.

The home ministry also told the state governments to enforce prohibitory orders and deployment of forces wherever necessary.

The situation along the Assam-Mizoram border turned violent after police resorted to lathi-charge to control some protesting students, where among others, a journalist was also injured.

Assam's Hailakandi district administration, bordering Mizoram, had on March 7 clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPc with immediate effect in certain areas apprehending encroachment attempts from the other side.

The prohibitory orders were imposed in Kachurthal and other areas under the Ramnathpur police station, bordering Kolasib district of Mizoram.