Mizoram Beefs Up Security After Hmar Threat

Aizawl, Aug 10 : Security in Mizoram’s government guest houses spread across eight cities countrywide have been considerably beefed up in the wake of a threat letter sent to the government recently by the Hmar People’s Convention (Democratic), stating that these houses would be the target of its attacks.

The rebel body’s self-styled “emergency chairman” L.T. Hmar made it clear in the threat mail that these guest houses would be attacked if the three top leaders of the HPC (D), arrested recently by Mizoram police in concert with Assam police in one case and Delhi police in another, are not released “forthwith”.

While H. Zosangbera, the outfit’s chairman, was picked by a joint team of the Mizoram and Delhi police from Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi after he landed there on July 17 in a flight from Imphal, reportedly to meet a few Union home ministry officials, the other two leaders, “army chief” Lalropuia and his deputy Biaknnunga, were arrested from Silchar airport on June 10.

Confirming the receipt of the threat letter sent in the last week of July, a senior official of the Mizoram government’s home department yesterday said the help of the police chiefs in the different states where the Mizoram Houses are at present located was sought to provide security to each of them.

There are two guest houses each in New Delhi and Calcutta while Bangalore, Shillong, Silchar, Guwahati, Mumbai and Vellore house one each.

The guest houses issue inner-line permits to foreign visitors required to visit Mizoram and also to non-Mizo civilians, take care of patients from Mizoram who go to these cities and towns for specialised healthcare treatment and also provide rooms to visiting Mizoram ministers and officials on duty.

James Lalrinchhana, the deputy resident commissioner of the Mizoram government posted here, today said a full section of the CRPF comprising over 30 jawans is now on round-the-clock duty in the guest house here to foil any possible threat. He said from now on, the visitors intending to visit the guest house here would be screened and checked while entering its precincts irrespective of their purpose of visit.

Cachar district’s superintendent of police Diganta Bora said in view of this new threat, the local police force has been ordered to keep a strict surveillance on the guest house’s compound on Sonai Road in south Silchar.