Mizoram reiterates 1875 boundary stand with Assam amid ongoing talks

The Mizoram government on February 27 reaffirmed its long-standing position on the interstate boundary dispute with Assam, maintaining that the boundary notified in 1875 remains the only acceptable demarcation between the two neighbouring states.

Home Minister K Sapdanga informed the Mizoram Assembly that the state’s stance, supported by a consensus of all political parties and major non-governmental organisations, has remained unchanged since 1958–59, when the state was a district council under Assam. He said Mizoram continues to adhere to the Inner Line of the Lushai Hills district as described in the 1933 notification, asserting that this reflects the historical boundary of the region.

Sapdanga said Mizoram’s position has been consistently conveyed through a series of high-level diplomatic engagements aimed at resolving the decades-old border dispute. He noted that while the views of Mizoram and Assam differ, the Mizoram government has repeatedly approached the Centre to seek an amicable solution. He added that Sapdanga had written to his Assam counterpart, clarifying that Mizoram does not accept the resolution passed by Assam Cabinet ministers on July 8, 2019, as it seeks to alter the status quo.

The Home Minister said the Centre is well aware of the prolonged nature of the dispute and the steps taken by both sides towards a resolution, adding that Mizoram did not issue a separate notice as the matter is already under the Centre’s consideration. According to him, both states have held several rounds of dialogue to resolve the issue peacefully.

He further stated that a high-level meeting between representatives of Mizoram and Assam was convened in Aizawl in December 2023, following the swearing-in of a new government in Mizoram, and another meeting was held in Guwahati on April 25 this year to continue technical and administrative negotiations.

In an effort to foster goodwill and maintain peaceful relations along the border, both states jointly observed a border cultural festival at Phuldubri in Assam’s Cachar district on November 25 last year, Sapdanga said.

Mizoram shares a 164.6-km-long border with Assam’s Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj districts. The dispute has its roots in colonial-era demarcations dating back to 1875 under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation and the 1933 notification, which were later interpreted differently by the two states.

The border issue has at times escalated into violence, including a deadly clash between police forces of the two states near Mizoram’s Vairengte village on July 26, 2021, which resulted in the deaths of six Assam Police personnel. Since August 2021, the two northeastern states have been holding multiple rounds of ministerial, official-level and virtual talks to find a lasting and peaceful resolution to the boundary dispute.