Assam police fired without provocation claims Mizoram counterpart

GUWAHATI: After Assam police deployed along the state border with Mizoram, opened fire at a group of suspected Mizo nationals in the wee hours of Wednesday, its Mizoram counterpart has claimed that the former shot at them without any ‘provocation’.

Talking to InsideNE, Vanlalfaka Ralte, Superintendent of Police of Kolasib district in Mizoram said, “At around 2 am on Wednesday, two women and a man went to their friend’s house located in Bilaipur to collect some food items in Bilaipur. Because of strict vigil during the night, they chose to go at night. However without any provocation, the Assam police fired at them.”

[caption id="attachment_99987" align="alignnone" width="1080"] Vanlalfaka Ralte, SP Kolasib[/caption]

The incident of firing took place in Dara Singh Hills in Bilaipur along the Assam-Mizoram border where Assam police is setting up a border police outpost. According to police, they opened bullet fire when some people approached from the other side.

Also read: Gunfire along Assam-Mizoram border while setting up Assam police outpost

Hailakandi shares a 99km border with Kolasib and Mamit district of Mizoram. Gaurav Upadhaya, Superintendent of Police of Hailakandi on Tuesday said that due to darkness, the Assam police could not identify the people. But it was suspected that they were from the Mizoram side.

However, Ralte, Superintendent of Police of Kolasib district has confirmed all the three persons were from Vairentge of Kolasib to Bilaipur of Hailakandi district. Notably, Vairengte is the place where the July 26 border violence that claimed lives of seven occurred.

However, Gaurav Upadhaya termed Ralte’s statement as a ‘half-baked story’.

“What business three people would have that they were moving towards the border outpost at 2 in the morning? It was a forest area that falls under Assam territory.”

[caption id="attachment_99988" align="alignnone" width="960"] Gaurav Upadhyay, Hailakandi SP on border vigil[/caption]

Upon asking about firing upon civilians, Upadhyay said, “It was completely dark. A police force was deployed till a certain point. How would they know that these people were harmless? They’ve (Mizoram Police) come up with a very strange and half -baked narrative”

After a brief lull, the Assam- Mizoram border tension is again simmering as two incidents of violence have been reported in the past four days.

The Kolasib SP has stated that though there was no bullet injury, one lady among the three, fractured her left arm while trying to run away.

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