Mizoram’s apex students’ body, the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) or the Mizo Students Association, on Thursday warned of 1966 like situation if the central government ‘imposes’ an inter-state boundary between Assam and Mizoram in compliance with the wishes of the Assam Government.
Mizoram had declared ‘independence’ from the Indian union way back on March 1, 1966, which led to many laying their lives for sovereignty.
The students’ body leadership while expressing apprehension over the dialogue with the chief secretaries of both Assam and Mizoram in New Delhi on Tuesday said it has lost faith in the Narendra Modi government.
The chief secretaries of both the states were called for a meeting in the national capital by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to resolve the recent upsurge along the inter-state boundary. The meeting was chaired by Union home secretary Rajiv Gauba.
The student leaders raised a strong protest in Aizawl on Thursday against the alleged high-handedness of Assam Police on Mizo students at Zophai Bairabi area in Kolasib district of Mizoram near Assam border on March 8 and 10.
During the protest rally, the MZP leaders also reaffirmed their view that the Mizoram government should ‘never accept’ any revised inter-state boundary except the one notified in 1875 under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873.
The MZP leadership also demanded that Assam should hand over 509 square miles of the inner line reserved forest, which was under the ambit of the Mizo District Council when Mizoram was part of Assam.
Simmering tension still prevails along the Assam-Mizoram inter-state boundary since March 8 last after at least 20 persons including two journalists were injured when Assam police lathi-charged MZP members who were trying to reconstruct a rest house at a disputed area near Bairabi town in Kolasib district.