At least six Assam police personnel died and several others were injured as firing broke out between police of Assam and Mizoram on Monday during a fresh clash that broke out along the inter-state border.
The incident took place two days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a meeting with Chief Ministers of all states in the Northeast in Shillong regarding the border dispute issue.
"I am deeply pained to inform that six jawans of Assam police have sacrificed their lives while defending the Constitutional boundary of our state," Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a tweet in the evening.
Officials on the Assam side said the clash broke out at Lailapur in Cachar district in South Assam after civilains from Mizoram's Kolasib district tried to push Assam police personnel from its post on the inter-state border.
They said at least 50 police personnel including SP of Cachar district, Nimbalkar Vaibhav Chandrakant was injured in firing and stone-pelting. "Local residents from Mizoram pelted stones and fired from airguns in front of Mizoram police and government officials," they said.
The injured have been shifted to a hospital on Silchar in Cachar.
Cachar, situated about 400-km from Guwahati shares a border with Kolasib district in Mizoram. The area, however, has witnessed tension since last year over the long border dispute.
In a statement, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga claimed that around 200 Assam police personnel led by an IGP and Cachar DC and SP went to Vairangte autorickshaw stand in Kolasib at around 11.30 am. "They forcibly crossed the duty post of Mizoram police. Assam police also damaged several vehicles travelling along the National Highway between Vairengte and Lailapur," said the statement. He said unarmed civilians who rushed to the site were lathi-charged and tear gas was fired at them.
"The confrontation continued and a volley of tear gas canisters and grenades were launched at Mizoram police followed by firing from Assam side at around 4.50 pm. Mizoram police responded spontaneously by firing back at Assam police in spite of the fact that Kolasib SP was still inside CRPF duty camp negotiating with the Assam police authorities," Zoramthanga said.
Both Sarma and Zoramthanga took to Twitter quickly questioning each other regarding action by police and the violence.
"Mizoram side is saying that the post belongs to them. But it is a post held by Assam police and it is now in our control," Sarma told reporters in Guwahati.
Zoramthanga said HM Shah spoke to him and Sarma following which Assam police withdrew from the place and the duty post was handed back to CRPF personnel.
Mizoram officials said local people got angry after a couple from Mizoram was attacked and their car vandalised in Cachar while on their way to Aizawl. The situation was still tense and senior police officers from Guwahati rushed to the spot.