BHALLA HOLDS MEET WITH MIZO, ASSAM OFFICIALS

In a bid to resolve the ongoing border dispute between Assam and Mizoram, Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla on Wednesday held a series of meeting senior officials from the two states. While the first meeting was with Mizoram Chief Secretary Lalnunmawia Chuaungo and Director General of Police S.B.K. Singh followed by a meeting with Assam chief secretary Jishnu Barua and state police chief Bhaskar Jyoti later in the evening.

Sources said during the meeting the home secretary stressed on the need that both states must work on a “peace formula” so that there is no repeat of the violence in which five policemen were killed while 70 others were injured on Monday.

Home minister Amit Shah has been personally monitoring the tense situation along the AssamMizoram border. Centre had rushed additional 600 police personnel of CRPF to the troubled area. It is believed that situation became violent after Mizoram Police opened fire on a team of Assam officials on Monday.

There has been a long standing dispute between Assam and Mizoram and the recent issue was triggered after Assam government objected to some activities being conducted by the Mizoram in an Assam reserve forest. Even in its meeting with the home secretary, Assam government officials claimed that some recent satellite images showed Mizoram was building a road and erecting structures inside Assam’s territory.