Patriotic People’s Front Assam (PPFA)- a nationalist citizen's forum based in the northeast- has demanded a clarification from the Mizoram government over the recent Assam-Mizoram border conflicts in which six (6) Assam police personnel succumbed to bullet injuries they received during a gunfight with Mizoram police on July 26.

In a statement issued to the media on July 28, the PPFA has expressed its utter dismay over the Assam-Mizoram border conflicts and urged the Centre to amicably settle the border issues.

The forum has further urged the Centre to identify the encroachers in the disputed areas.

The forum has further paid their heartfelt tributes to the deceased.

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It has also demanded a clarification from the Mizoram government as to how their police forces fired upon the group of Assam police personnel without intimations even though both are government recognised armed forces under the same set of rules.

The interstate flare-up resulted in the death of six (6) Assam police personnel- Swapan Roy (SI), Liton Suklabaidya, MH Barbhuiya, N Hussain, S Barbhuiya and Shyamprasad Dusat.

Apart from the six deaths, over 50 others including the Cachar district police chief Baibhab Chandrakant Nimbalkar were also injured.

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He was later airlifted to Mumbai for better treatments.

“It was very shocking that the violent incident took place within 48 hours of union home minister Amit Shah’s visit to Shillong, where he met both the concerned chief ministers Pu Zoramthanga and
Himanta Biswa Sarma, who incidentally the convener of BJP promoted North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA),” the PPFA statement added.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel have also been deployed at the affected Lailapur- Vairengte disputed areas to help both police forces from both the states to maintain the law and order situation.

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The Centre also had discussions with Mizoram CM Zoramthanga and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, both of whom were engaged in a war of words on digital platforms over the matter.

They were asked by the Centre to ensure peace at the disputed border areas.

The forum observed that a large forest area in the Assam-Mizoram border have been encroached on by suspected nationals and the Monday’s incident was the result of tension following an incident of vandalism by some of those lawbreakers.

A Mizo couple, who was ransacked while returning from Cachar, triggered the flare-up.

Various Mizo individuals claim that those hooligans are illegal migrants in border areas.

“It is so unfortunate that the encroachers continue engaging in various criminal activities in those areas and on the way to safeguard those illegal migrants, our police personnel have to face the
consequences,” the PPFA statement added.

"The Centre should introspect over those criminals seriously while initiating to find a sustainable solution to the Assam-Mizoram border conflicts issues," the statement further stated.