The Mizoram government on Thursday sounded an alert and beefed up security along the inter-state border following the spike in coronavirus cases in neighbouring states, a senior police officer said on Thursday. Mizoram shares inter-state borders with Assam, Manipur and Tripura and international borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Deputy inspector-general of police (northern range), Lalbiakthanga Khiangte, told The Telegraph that security had been tightened along Mizoram’s borders with the three states to check movement of people. “The move follows a surge in coronavirus cases in Assam,” he said.
“We have alerted all the checkposts along the inter-state borders especially at Vairengte and Bairabi on the Mizoram-Assam border and Mamit district along the state’s border with Tripura,” he said.
Khiangte added that they had reinforced the border checkpost in Mamit district where one platoon of reinforcement was sent on Thursday.
He said all the inter-state and international borders had been completely sealed barring Vairengte in Kolasib district.
“We have instructed our men and medical team at Vairengte to conduct strict medical screening of essential commodities besides passengers,” Khiangte said.
Police personnel were on guard in at least 54 duty posts along the inter-state and international borders and 205 places across the state.
Khiangte said the police would also be involved in all the duty posts along inter-state and international borders which were earlier manned by local-level task forces.
According to him, Mizoram police have identified at least 32 people from the state who were believed to be present near or within a diameter of 250-500 metres from a religious congregation in Delhi’s Nizamuddin. They have been identified based on the digital footprints issued by the intelligent department.
Khiangte said all of them had been put under home quarantine and were asymptomatic. “The matter has been referred to the health department for further action,” he added.
Kolasib deputy commissioner H. Lalthlangliana said an essential-commodities monitoring cell had been formed.
