Assam declares three-day state mourning to condole border deaths

From Our Correspondent

GUWAHATI:

The Assam government declared a three-day state mourning from Tuesday as a mark of respect to the five Assam Police personnel who were martyred and one civilian who succumbed to injuries in firing during a major escalation at Lailapur in Cachar district near the Assam-Mizoram boundary on Monday.

“During this period, the national flag will be flown at a half-mast where it is regularly flown and there will be no public entertainment during this period,” a notification issued on Tuesday said.

At least six persons succumbed to injuries, while over 50 policemen, including Cachar SP, Vaibhav Chandrakant Nimabalkar, suffered bullet injuries in an exchange of fire between the Assam Police and Mizoram Police. 

The Assam Police had claimed to exercise restraint and did not resort to retaliatory firing when its police personnel were initially fired upon on Monday morning.

However, the same claim was made by Mizoram, who stated that the first shot was fired by Assam police during a tense border conflict in the borders. 

Meanwhile, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma rushed to Silchar on Tuesday morning and took stock of the health of the injured police officials and personnel admitted at Silchar Medical College and Hospital and directed doctors to ensure the best treatment to them.

“Asked to send seriously injured personnel for higher-level treatment by air ambulance on priority,” Sarma tweeted on Tuesday.

In a condolence message, he stated, “We are deeply anguished by the loss of lives of our brave Assam Police personnel. I visited the Silchar SP office and paid floral tributes to the five martyrs and saluted their sacrifice.”

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