Mizoram maintains 1875 notification as Assam border reference: Home Minister

Mizoram Home Minister K. Sapdanga on Wednesday reaffirmed the state government’s stance that its boundary with Assam is defined by the 1875 notification issued under the ‘Inner Line on the Southern Frontier of the District of Cachar’. The statement comes amid renewed tensions along the Mizoram-Assam border.

Addressing the Assembly during the first day of the monsoon session, Sapdanga noted that the Mizoram government considers the 1875 demarcation as the official boundary, while Assam relies on a 1933 map prepared by the Survey of India to assert its constitutional claim.

He added that both states have engaged in over ten rounds of talks since 1988 to amicably resolve the border dispute. The last official-level discussion was held in Guwahati on April 25, with another round proposed in Mizoram, though the date is yet to be finalized. Both states have also exchanged important border-related documents to strengthen their positions.

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The minister highlighted that Mizoram has constructed and maintained border roads but refrained from using certain routes to avoid violating the status quo or agreements from previous discussions. Sapdanga referred to an incident on August 15 when Assam police and forest officials reportedly entered Sakhawthir village in Mizoram’s Mamit district and damaged around 290 rubber plants, an area claimed by both states. The situation was defused after talks between district officials and police.

Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma recently confirmed a conversation with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, agreeing to continue maintaining the status quo along disputed areas.

Three Mizoram districts—Aizawl, Kolasib, and Mamit—share a 164.6 km-long border with Assam’s Cachar, Sribhurns, and Hailakandi districts. The longstanding dispute stems from conflicting colonial-era demarcations of 1875 and 1933 and has previously escalated into violence, including a clash near Vairengte in July 2021 that left seven people dead.

Since August 2021, both states have held four ministerial-level rounds of talks along with official-level meetings to seek a resolution. The April talks resulted in an agreement to maintain the status quo and expedite responses to Mizoram’s claims.