Guwahati: The Assam government accused on Sunday that Mizoram officials entered his territory in Hailakandi and began building bridges, in new escalations between the two northeastern countries.
The incident took place on Friday when several workers from Mizoram tried to build a bridge in Kachurthal in the Ramnathpur police station area, Hailakandi police supervisor, Gaurav Upadhyay told PTI.
“Officers responsible (OC) from the Ramnathpur police station and the patrol team immediately reached the place and stopped construction work, called it a violation by Mizoram because they did not have the authority to build a bridge on the side of Assam,” he said.
Upadhyay alleged that around 40-50 security personnel from Mizoram reached the bridge site on Saturday and some of them crossed to the side of Assam “in a full violation of joint statements issued by the two countries on August 5 to maintain peace in the border area”.
The local police team from Assam urged Mizoram security personnel to leave Assam land, but they refused to do so, he accused.
“To assert the position of Assam and asked Mizoram forces to withdraw from the side of Assam Bridge, a party of around 200 personnel and police commandos Assam under my leadership and other senior officials reached kachurthal on Sunday morning,” Upadhyay said.
He, however, stated that being a responsible force, Assam police did not face and gave each civil administration the opportunity to resolve the problem by stopping development on unauthorized bridges and eliminating the power of Mizoram.
“Allegations of theft by the power of discipline such as Assam police were truly made, unfounded, malafide and without facts and was an attempt by the Mizoram government to divert attention from the main problem, namely illegal development by the Mizoram authority at Assam Land,” Upadhyay said.
The Mizoram government said that it had submitted a case against Assam police personnel for allegedly “stealing” construction materials from the bridge site, which was claimed to be in his area.
Deputy Commissioner Kolakib Mizoram H Lalthlangliana told PTI that police personnel Assam entered the territory of the country in Zophai near the city of Bairabi and allegedly stole several construction materials, including iron rods, from the construction site of the bridge on Friday.