Aizawl, Nov. 23: The Mizoram government has come out with an official statement stating that the border tension at Bairabi was caused by a local incident and had no connection with the Assam-Mizoram border dispute.

The statement mentioned the November 2 incident in which a driver from Katlichera was forced to part with Rs 2,000 by the Bairabi Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP). He then lodged an complaint, following which, the MZP and Bairabi residents warned residents on the Assam side against entering Mizoram. The Assam side retaliated in a similar manner.

The statement further stated no one from either side mentioned the border issue in the conflict.

However, it did not deny that Assam officials had destroyed the Mizoram agriculture department?s resting sheds in Zophai and put up a ?Welcome to Assam? near Zophai. It also mentioned that the Kolasib DC had informed his Hailakandi counterpart of the incidents.

?Residents of both sides have also conducted a number of meetings to help restore normalcy. But there has been no mention of a border disp-ute in any of these meetings,? the statement reiterated.

It added that the chief secretary and senior officers, while talking to mediapersons, had called the incident ?a local incident, a law and order problem to be solved at the district level.?

The statement did not deny the border dispute between Assam and Mizoram and described it as a different matter.

The statement added that the chief secretary and senior officers are well aware of the Assam-Mizoram border dispute.

Assam?s chief secretary had informed his Mizoram counterpart that any boundary issue should be solved through ?arbitration?, with the assurance that he would ask the Hailakandi deputy commissioner to ensure that the people of Mizoram were not harassed by Hailakandi residents.