SILCHAR/AGARTALA: The residents of Lowarpowa in Karimganj district of Assam’s Barak Valley blocked the Assam-Agartala National Highway 8 on Monday morning protesting against Tripura’s gesture of allowing essential items to Mizoram.
Movement of vehicles to Mizoram came to a grinding halt on July 26 after National Highway 306 linking Silchar with Aizawl was blocked following the death of six Assam policemen allegedly in firing from the Mizoram side at Lailapur on the inter-state border. Supply of medicines and essential items has been severely hit in Mizoram because of the Silchar-Aizawl highway blockade.
Monday’s blockade began early in the morning triggering massive snarls on the otherwise busy highway, considered a lifeline of Tripura. Sources said a group of people in Lowarpowa assembled on NH 8 protesting against the transportation of essential commodities to Mizoram via Damcherra of North Tripura and Kanmoon of Mamit district of western Mizoram.
A spokesman for the protesters said when six Assam police personnel were killed and nearly 80 people injured by bullets fired from the Mizoram side, it’s shameful that Tripura has extended a helping hand to the state.
“The people of Assam have always maintained a brotherly relationship with Tripura. We have helped them in times of their need. Today, when our forces were attacked by Mizoram police, we expected them to stand by our side. To our utter dismay, the government of Tripura is allowing its highways to be used for Mizoram. This is unacceptable to us and we will not allow the trucks carrying essential items for Mizoram pass through our area,” read the letter handed over to the Assam administration.
They had earlier submitted a memorandum to the superintendent of police in Karimganj and officer in-charge of Bazarichhara police station, Assam, and Churaibari police station of Tripura and sent a copy to Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The villagers alleged that Tripura didn’t take any action to stop the movement of goods vehicles to Mizoram.
Geographically, Mizoram is landlocked and surrounded by Bangladesh, Myanmar, Manipur, Assam and Tripura. The state is connected with rail and road mainly via Silchar in south Assam and dependent on Assam for the supply of essentials, medical and every other need.
The villagers also criticised the Tripura government for its gesture of allowing Brus displaced from Mizoram to settle in the state ignoring the interest of the indigenous people. They argued that when the Mizoram government had not agreed to accept its own people numbering around 40,000, Tripura accepted them and even rehabilitated them. However, the Brus have been continuously disturbing the local people and instigating violence.
Last week, over 1,500 indigenous Charai tribes from different villages of Damcherra along the Tripura-Mizoram border in North Tripura fled to nearby locations in Assam’s Karimganj district following clashes between the Brus of Mizoram and indigenous communities of Tripura, they said. The newly displaced families have been given food and shelter with the help of local administration, they added.
“Now, when Mizoram became hostile and killed our people, Tripura should not help them,” they demanded and added, “If Tripura feels Mizoram is their best neighbour, we shall not allow any vehicle in or out of Tripura through Assam. We expect the same gesture from Manipur too, as they have been supplying vegetables, food and other essentials, including petroleum products to Mizoram. Tripura and Manipur have to decide whom to live with – Assam or Mizoram,” the agitators said.
Police from the nearby Patharkandi police station rushed to the spot and managed to bring the proterstors on the talks table. The blockade was lifted in the afternoon after eight hours.
