Assam-Mizoram Border Talks: State delegates to meet today in Aizawl to discuss decade-long border issue

State representatives from Assam and Mizoram will be meeting for another round of discussions in order to resolve the long-standing border conflict between the two states. The state ministers of both the northeast states will attend the meeting, which will start at 2:30 pm at the Aijal Club in Aizawl. The 164.6 km interstate border between the two northeastern states has had multiple flare-ups recently. 

In a violent altercation last year, six policemen and a civilian had died, as well as 60 people injured along the Assam-Mizoram border.

State Home Minister Lalchamliana will lead the Mizoram delegation, and Minister of Border Protection and Development Atul Bora will lead the Assam group. On Tuesday, the Assam delegation is anticipated to arrive in Aizawl around 10:45 am and depart for Guwahati the next day. 

The long-running border dispute between Assam and Mizoram is primarily the result of two British demarcations in 1875 and 1933.

While Assam claimed that the demarcations established under the 1933 notice was its constitutional boundary, Mizoram acknowledged the demarcation made under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BERF) announced in 1875, which covers sizable expanses of land that are now part of Assam.

After the violent incident in July, the delegates from Mizoram and Assam met in August last year to try to resolve the long-running border issue. Following this, there were two rounds of virtual meetings, at the conclusion of which the two parties decided to forward the negotiations. Assam was given the authority to set the parameters for the upcoming negotiations.

In November of last year, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga and his Assam counterpart, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma met in Delhi to discuss the border issue. They decided to create their own panels with participation from all relevant parties in order to negotiate a peaceful resolution. Both leaders had also agreed to occasionally hold discussions at the chief minister level in order to achieve this.