Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga on Wednesday made an appeal to the people to refrain from any sort of violence amid border dispute with Assam that escalated after a clash between police forces of the two North-eastern states that left seven people dead and over 50 injured.
His appeal came when certain organisations of the neighbouring Barak Valley region of Assam observed a 12-hour bandh on Wednesday and have been staging an economic blockade on the National Highway-306 that connects Mizoram with the rest of the country since July 26, disrupting transportation of goods to the state.
Our Assam brethren receiving their COVID vaccines at a Local Church hall in Aizawl. Non-Mizos from all walks of life within Mizoram are at peace. I urge everyone to remain peaceful and refrain from any sort of violence. NorthEast will always be One, the chief minister tweeted.
Zoramthanga's plea is seen as a message to a section of the people who may attack non-Mizos as a fallout of the blockade which, if not lifted quickly, might lead to scarcity of essential commodities in the state.
Thousands of people, mostly daily labourers, of Assam especially from Hailakandi, Karimganj and Cachar districts are currently living in Mizoram. These three districts comprise the Barak Valley region.
Residents of Assam now staying in Mizoram are at peace despite the border tussle, the chief minister said in the Twitter post, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were tagged.
He attached to the post a video clip of some Assam residents receiving COVID-19 vaccines at a church hall in Aizawl and talking about how safe they are in Mizoram.
The state government and civil society organisations also urged the Mizos to ensure the safety of non-tribal people in the state.
The state government has already instructed all deputy commissioners and superintendent of police across the state to take measures to ensure that no non-Mizos are harmed, Chief Secretary Lalnunmawia Chuaungo, who is now in Delhi for border talks, told PTI over the phone.
