Assam-Mizoram border dispute: Both states claim land on the border (File)
North east India will always be one, underlined Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga, a day after Assam advised its people not to travel to the neighbouring state in the wake of unprecedented gunfight between the police forces of the two states earlier this week over border dispute.
The Mizoram Chief Minister's tweet also shared a government notification, issued a day before Assam's travel advisory, underscoring that there will be no restrictions on non-residents of Mizoram traveling through the state's Kolasib district, which borders Assam's Cachar district.
This week's clashes stem from a decades old land dispute between Assam and Mizoram over "improper demarcation of the state border". Both Assam and Mizoram claim land on the border between Assam's Cachar and Mizoram's Kolasib district. Both states accuse each other of encroachment.
"It is hereby notified that there shall be no restriction on the movement of non-residents within Kolasib district. Mizo residents are also advised to allow no disturbance and to cause no harm to non-locals within Kolasib district in connection with the inter-state boundary issue at Mizoram Assam Border," read a Mizoram government notification dated July 28.
The Chief Minister also provided a list of names and telephone numbers to report any problems faced by non-Mizos within Kolasib district.
On the other hand, Assam, after its travel advisory, has also said all vehicles entering from Mizoram will be checked for "illicit drugs".
Justifying its move to check vehicles from Mizoram, the Assam government said that within a span of two months, 912 cases have been registered and 1,560 persons arrested and huge quantities of illicit drugs confiscated.
"It has been reliably learnt from video footage available with Assam Police, that many civilians are heavily armed with automatic weapons etc," the Assam travel advisory read. It blamed Mizo civil society, students and youth of issuing "provocative statements against the state of Assam and its people".
Paramilitary forces have been deployed to keep the peace in the disturbed area after discussion with officials of the Union Home Ministry.