Assam-Mizoram Border Dispute: Minister Atul Bora Leading A Goodwill Mission To Mizoram

irst border talks between Mizoram and Assam after the ZPM government headed by Chief Minister Lalduhoma came to power in Mizoram

Assam Border Affairs Minister Atul Bora is leading a goodwill mission to Mizoram to carry forward the crucial Assam-Mizoram border talks. This will be the first round of talks under the Laduhoma-led ZPM (Zoram Peoples Movement) government.

Minister Bora will reach Aizawl today afternoon and the meeting is slated to take place at 4 PM today. The Mizoram delegation is headed by Home Minister K Sapdanga.

Today’s meeting is part of the ongoing efforts to resolve the long-standing border dispute between both the states. So far three meetings have taken place.

Assam and Mizoram shares a long history of border dispute, which originates from two colonial-era demarcations – the 1875 notification under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) and the 1933 Survey of India map.

The border dispute between the two states concerns three districts in Mizoram—Aizawl, Kolasib, and Mamit—which shares 164.6 kilometer border with Assam’s Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi districts.

Mizoram, as per the 1875 notification, claims that 509 square-miles within the inner line reserved forest falls within its territory.

Meanwhile, Assam regards the 1933 map as its constitutional boundary and consequently some areas within the reserved forest now fall under Assam, and parts of the 1933 demarcation are on the Mizoram side.

The conflict between the two states escalated in July 2021 when there was exchange of fire between the police forces of both the states at the border, which killed six Assam policemen and one civilian, while over 60 others were left injured.

Meanwhile, since August 2021, several rounds of talks have been held between the two states, with agreements to maintain peace along the boundary and resolve the dispute through dialogue.

The most recent talks were held in November 2022 in Guwahati, in which Mizoram was tasked with providing details on villages, areas, geo-spatial extent, and ethnicity within three months to support its claim.

In response, Mizoram submitted information identifying 62 villages in the disputed area as being within its territory or within the extent of the inner line reserved forest.

Also ReadAnother Round Of Assam-Mizoram Border Talks On August 9 and 10

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