MNF Youth Wing protests outside Mizoram CMO, seeks Lalduhoma’s apology over peace accord remarks

Members of the opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) Youth Wing staged a demonstration outside the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) in Aizawl on Saturday, August 8 demanding an apology from Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma over his recent remarks concerning the Mizoram Peace Accord and Inner Line Permit (ILP) regulations.

The protesters had planned to welcome Lalduhoma on his return from Delhi with Pawndum, a traditional Mizo shawl associated with mourning and grief, along with black flags, according to Mizo National Youth Front (MNYF) vice president Lalnunmawia Pautu.

The demonstration was organised to express their opposition to what they described as remarks that undermined Mizoram’s constitutional safeguards and downplayed the historical and political significance of the 1986 Mizoram Peace Accord.

The protesters alleged that the chief minister’s comments had hurt sentiments surrounding the peace accord, which ended decades of insurgency and played a significant role in Mizoram’s transition to statehood and political stability.

Pautu said the protesters intended to convey their disappointment and demand an apology from the chief minister. However, Lalduhoma did not arrive at his office during the demonstration, he said.

The MNF Youth Wing has maintained that the constitutional protections available to Mizoram and the provisions governing the ILP are closely linked to the state’s distinct historical and political circumstances.