Assam-Mizoram Stand-off: MP Says "Will Kill Them All", Prompts Outrage
Days after fierce border clashes along the Assam-Mizoram border left five Assam Police members dead and around 100 civilians and security personnel injured, the role of a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament is under the lens.
His controversial comments
The Assam Police will investigate Mizoram MP K Vanlalvena's role in an alleged conspiracy to kill police officers at the border.?Standing outside the Parliament House,?Vanlalvena told reporters:?"More than 200 policemen entered out territory and they pushed back our policemen from our own posts and they gave firing orders first, before we fired."
¡°We shot them dead because they shot us first...They are lucky we didn't kill them all. If they come again, we shall kill them all," Mizo National Front's Rajya Sabha MP K Vanlalvena, who is in New Delhi, told a news organisation. His video clip is doing the rounds on social media.
Assam cops leading probe
Now, a team of Assam Police are going to Delhi to question the Rajya Sabha MP.?GP Singh, senior officer of the Assam Police tweeted, that the team plans action "relating to conspiracy behind the incident in light of media interview of Rajya Sabha MP Sri K Vanlalvena indicative of his active role in conspiracy".
The Assam Police, Singh said, has prepared a "picture gallery" of the people involved -- including Mizoram Police personnel and locals who opened fire on its personnel.?In a statement, the state also announced a reward of ? 5 lakh for information on the attackers.
Clashes that left 5 dead
The violence in which 100 were also injured, had started on Monday morning at the Inner Line Reserve Forest area of Cachar district. Later each state had issued tit-for-tat allegations of intrusion in violation of a previous understanding. Paramilitary forces were deployed to keep the peace at the disturbed area.
Just two days before, Union Minister Amit Shah had met Chief Ministers of the northeastern states.The people of Assam's Barak Valley imposed an "economic blockade", shutting down the National Highway 306 that connects Mizoram to the rest of the country.
On Wednesday, Home Ministry officials met senior officials from both Assam and Mizoram for more than two hours and decided to extend the posting of paramilitary forces.
