Assam-Mizoram border issues: Truths of conflict

Mita Nath Bora

(The writer can be reached at mitanathbora7@gmail.com)

Mizoram along with several other hill states of the Northeast initially formed part of undivided Assam under British rule. The Mizo Hills were formally declared as part of the British-India by a proclamation in 1895 and its north and south hills were united into the Lushai Hills district in 1898. The process of the consolidation of the British administration in the tribal-dominated area in Assam started in 1919 when Lushai Hills along with some other hill districts was declared a Backward Tract under the Government of India Act. The tribal districts of Assam, including Lushai Hills, were declared Excluded Area in 1935.

In 1947, as the day of Independence drew nearer, the Constituent Assembly of India set up an Advisory Committee to deal with matters relating to the minorities and the tribals. Thus the sub-committee, under the chairmanship of the Congress leader Gopinath Bordoloi was formed to advise the Constituent Assembly on the tribal affairs in the Northeast. Following the Bordoloi Sub-Committee's suggestion, a certain amount of autonomy was accepted by the Government and enshrined in the Six Schedule of the Constitution. The Lushai Hills Autonomous District Council came into being in 1952. The autonomy, however, met the aspirations of the Mizos only partially. Representatives of the District Council and the Mizo Union pleaded with the States Reorganization Commission (SRC) in 1954 for integration of the Mizo-dominated areas of Tripura and Manipur with their District Council in Assam. The tribal leaders in the Northeast were laboriously unhappy with the SRC Recommendations. They met in Aizawl in 1955 and formed a new political party, Eastern India Union (EIU) and raised the demand for a separate state comprising all the hill districts of Assam.

The Mizo National Front (MNF) formed under Laldenga on 22nd October 1961 took to violence to secure its goal of establishing a sovereign land. Large-scale disturbances broke out on 28th February 1966. The MNF was outlawed in 1967.

Sanjeev Chopra writes in the millennium post that in 1966, the MNF during its armed struggle period was supported by ISI and East Pakistan. On March 1, 1966, MNF launched simultaneous attacks on the Assam Rifles (AR) garrisons at Aizawl, Lunglei and Champhai, BSF outposts and the Aizawl Treasury. On March 2, 1966, the AFSPA was invoked, curfew was imposed in Aizawl. Lt Gen Sam Manekshaw had a huge role in bringing the insurgents down. In all this, the Mizo Union was steadfast in its support for India. Their biggest grouse was that the Congress CM of Assam, BP Chaliha, was supporting MNF — a secessionist organization — and because for him 'the disintegration of the state of Assam is more serious than the amputation of Mizo Hills from India'. It may not be true, but this was certainly the popular perception. The Mizo Union presented a memorandum to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in December 1970 for a full-fledged state, but a compromise was struck with the enactment of the North-Eastern (Areas) Reorganisation Act, 1971 under which Mizoram was formed into a UT with thirty-three legislators and one seat each in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The veteran Mizo Union leader Ch Chhunga took the oath of office as Chief Minister in May 1972.

On 15th February 1985, Laldenga of MNF met the then Congress Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi as it was convinced that bidding farewell to arms to live as respectable Indian citizens was the only way of achieving peace and development. The Centre too felt that the Mizo problem had been dragging on for long a time. An accord was signed on 30 June 1986 where statehood was a prerequisite to the implementing of the accord signed between the MNF and the Congress Union Government. The document was signed by Laldenga, on the behalf of MNF, and the Union Home Secretary RD Pradhan on behalf of the Government, Lalkhama Chief Secretary of Mizoram, too signed the agreement. MNF volunteers came out of their hiding and surrendered arms. A total of 614 activists gave themselves up in less than two weeks in July. Large quantities of small and big firearms including LMGs and rifles were received from them. A constitution Amendment Bill and another to confer statehood on Mizoram were passed in the Lok Sabha on 5 August 1986.

20th February 1987 was the year when the formalization of Mizoram State took place along with the statehood for Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya. The Congress government at the Centre under Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi initiated the process. PM Rajiv Gandhi flew into Aizawl to inaugurate the new state. In 1986 the Indian Parliament adopted the 53rd amendment of the Indian Constitution that allowed for the creation of the State of Mizoram as India's 23rd state. Chief Secretary Lalkhama read out the proclamation of statehood at a public meeting organised at Aizawl's Parade Ground.

However, the Congress government both at the Centre and in the state in a hurry to keep administrative control failed to clearly demarcate and settle the few crucial border disputes between Assam and Mizoram and hence it remained an issue throughout. If constitutional steps were taken to resolve these issues even in the last 34 years after giving statehood to Mizoram, matters would not have escalated to taking lives today. There is a 164.6-km inter-state border that separates Assam and Mizoram, with the three Assam districts of Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj sharing a border with Kolasib, Mamit and Aizawl districts of Mizoram. The dispute stems from two notifications passed under the British era - first, the notification of 1875, which differentiated Lushai Hills from the plains of Cachar; second, the notification of 1933, which demarcates a boundary between Lushai Hills and Manipur. Mizoram believes the boundary should be demarcated based on the 1875 notification, which is derived from the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) Act, 1873. On the other hand, the Assam government follows the 1933 demarcation. Further, the boundary between Mizoram and Assam follows naturally occurring barriers of hills, valleys, rivers and forests, and both sides have attributed border skirmishes to perceptional differences over an imaginary line. As a result, both states continue to have a differing perception of the border and that is the point of conflict.

Recently, a row started when Mizoram allegedly breached the existing status quo of the Assam Mizoram border by commencing the construction of a road towards Rengti Basti and destroying the Inner Line Forest Reserve in Lailapur and setting up a new armed camp. When a team of officials from Assam including IGP, DIG, DC Cachar, SP Cachar and DFO went to enquire and stabilize the matter, a mob of miscreants backed by the Mizoram police attacked the Assam Police, pelting stones and firing killing 6 Assam policemen and injuring 70 more. Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma has written to Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga for a satellite survey of the boundary position and maintenance of complete peace and normalcy in the disputed area which is yet to be agreed upon by the Mizoram counterpart.

While border disputes have been there, but this is the first time that the killings of Assam policemen were enjoyed and celebrated by the Mizos. What is more disturbing is the support of Mizoram admin and police towards these activities. So, what is the truth behind it? It is a known fact that Assam's inner line forest areas are used for illegal activities like illicit cutting and selling of timber, a multi-crore business. But, what also transpires is a kind of retaliation to Assam's drive against the drug. Mizoram is the gateway of illegal narcotics from Myanmar in India via Assam and when Assam recently launched its anti-drug campaign, it has seriously impacted the multi-crore dollar drug cartels. Huge dents in the drug network have been made with narcotics worth crores seized that has been burned and destroyed; several smugglers and peddlers arrested and all these have rattled the drug lords. The massive drug syndicate operated by several Mizo groups has been seriously hit by the Assam government's strong action against these cartels and hence these groups are trying to find other ways to be violent with the civilians and officials of Assam. The border dispute is the best pretext