Assam Congress team barred from visiting ‘conflict zone’ near Mizoram border

From Our Correspondent

GUWAHATI:

A delegation of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee was prevented by Assam Police from visiting Lailapur Bazar close to the “conflict zone” along the Assam-Mizoram border on Wednesday owing to “security reasons”.

The delegation led by newly-appointed Assam PCC president Sri Bhupen Kumar Borah was not allowed to proceed any further from Dholai Bazar in Cachar district.

Justifying the police move, newly posted Cachar superintendent of police Ramandeep Kaur said that “no person or political party, regardless of affiliation, is allowed to visit the conflict zone at Lailapur due to security reasons as the situation there is still tense.”

The touring Congress delegation also comprised CLP leader Debabrata Saikia, deputy CLP Leader Rakibul Hussain; APCC working president Kamalakhya Dey Purksyastha and All India Mahila Congress president Sushmita Dev among other members.

“We have come here to show our solidarity with the people of Lailapur who are in a state of fear and insecurity. When the chief minister, other ministers and political leaders of BJP can visit the border area, there is no reason why Opposition leaders cannot do the same. As it is, we have not come to create any trouble,” former Silchar MP Sushmita Dev told reporters at Dholai.

“The Congress party’s team wanted to assess the ground situation at a point 5 km from the border but they stopped us 8 km before it,” Dev later tweeted.

The team was constituted by the All India Congress Committee to examine the situation on ground along the Assam-Mizoram border following Monday’s major escalation leading to firing along the inter-state boundary, leaving six Assam Police personnel and a civilian dead, and over 40 others injured.

ALSO READ: Assam govt to move Supreme Court for protection of reserve forest and border areas