Guwahati/ India
At least seven people, including six police officers, were killed and more than 70 hurt on Monday in clashes between two Indian states, a senior politician said, as a weeks-long territorial dispute in the country’s northeast turned deadly.
Tensions on the border between Assam and Mizoram have been elevated since last month, when Assam’s police allegedly took control of the hilly area of Lailapur, accusing Mizoram of encroaching on the territory.
The violence highlights the long-standing inter-state boundary issues in the region, particularly between Assam and neighbouring states.
“We have lost six of our policemen and a civilian along the Assam-Mizoram border when miscreants from Mizoram opened gunfire,” Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told Reuters.
In response, Mizoram’s home minister, Lalchamliana, said in a statement Monday’s violence began when Assam police encroached on its territory, calling the casualties on both sides “regrettable”.—Reuters
