Assam govt advises people not to travel to Mizoram after violent border clashes

The Assam government has issued a travel advisory after the violent border skirmishes earlier this week in which six of Assam police were killed. Besides, 45 people were wounded.

Mizoram has reportedly said it has proof that the Assam Police started the violence and questioned how such a thing could occur two days after a successful meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah took place to address border issues.

Following this, a travel advisory issued by the Assam government read: "Even after this incident, certain Mizo civil society, students and youth organisations are constantly issuing provocative statements against the state of Assam and its people. It has been reliably learnt from video footage available with Assam Police, that many civilians are heavily armed with automatic weapons etc."

The government has advised the people of Assam to not travel to Mizoram and those staying in Mizoram on work-related compulsions, "should exercise utmost caution".

The clashes between the security forces of both states and miscreants took place at Lailapur area in Assam’s Cachar district along the Assam-Mizoram border on Monday.

Assam Police had claimed that a large number of miscreants from Mizoram indulged in stone pelting and attacked government officials stationed at Lailapur to protect the state's land from encroachment.

Blaming the neighbouring state for the fresh conflict, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had posted a video on Twitter suggesting Mizoram "escalated the issue".

Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga also replied with another video tweet of the incident and sought Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s immediate intervention.

The border conflict has its genesis from the "improper border demarcation".

Two border notifications were issued between the two states during the British rule in India.

Mizoram, which was a part of Assam earlier, became a union territory in 1972 and later a state in 1987.