ASSAM-MIZORAM DISPUTE

July 29, 2021

At least five policemen in India have died after police from Assam and Mizoram fired at each other.

About:

  • Assam shares a 164km (about 101 miles) border with Mizoram, and both states contest its demarcation.

  • Under colonial rule, Lushai Hills, as Mizoram was then known, was part of Assam. The region only gained recognition in 1972 - almost three decades after India's independence - when it became a separate federally administered area. In 1987, it became a fully-fledged state.

  • Three districts in Assam - Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj - share a 164km-long border with three districts of Mizoram.

  • The forested area is contested at several points, with both Assam and Mizoram accusing each other of encroaching on their land.

  • The federal government has been trying to mediate a truce between the states since 1994 but has failed to achieve a breakthrough.

  • Tensions escalated to an unprecedented level in October 2020 when residents of Assam and Mizoram clashed twice in a week. At the heart of the matter was an "eviction drive" carried out by Assam along a contested part of the border - authorities from the state reportedly burned a farmhouse and crops in the area.

Latest Current Affairs

See All