Partition divided Zo-Chin people, triggered one of largest mass migrations: Mizoram Guv

The Partition of India in 1947 not only triggered one of the largest mass migrations in history but also divided the Zo-Chin people across newly created political boundaries, Mizoram Governor Vijay Kumar Singh said on Friday, August 14.

Addressing a Partition Horrors Remembrance Day programme organised by the state Art and Culture Department at Vanapa Hall in Aizawl, Singh said the division of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) resulted in a large number of Zo-Chin people being separated from one another.

The Zo community, also known as the Chin-Kuki-Mizo groups, comprises several tribes that share close cultural and ethnic ties and are spread across northeastern India, the CHT in Bangladesh and Chin State in Myanmar.

Describing Partition as one of the most painful chapters in India’s history, Singh said millions of people were forced to leave behind their homes and properties, while families and communities were torn apart and countless lives were lost.

An estimated 10 to 14 million people were compelled to migrate during Partition, he said, adding that the boundaries were drawn in haste and left “deep and permanent scars” on people and communities.

“Today is not an occasion to reopen old wounds or to assign blame. Rather, it is a day to remember the victims, honour their resilience and draw enduring lessons from history so that such a tragedy is never permitted to recur in our nation,” Singh said.

The governor urged schoolchildren to remember that India is one nation and that its people share a common national identity.

He said India could achieve greater progress if its people remained united while setting aside their differences.

Singh also cautioned the younger generation against misinformation and misleading narratives, urging them to study history carefully and communicate its lessons with sensitivity and responsibility.

He said India’s greatest strength lies in its “unity in diversity”.