Mizoram Forms Expert Study Group to Resolve Long-Standing Border Dispute with Assam

The study group established by the Mizoram government will gather information, such as the list of villages, their areas, geographical boundaries, and the ethnicities of the residents, in order to support the state’s claims on its borders. This information will be provided to the Assam government, as agreed upon during a border meeting between the two states in November 2020.

Both sides decided to form regional committees to examine the information and work towards resolving the longstanding border disputes, particularly after a violent clash that happened in July 2021. The Mizoram government has also formed a boundary committee involving political parties and other stakeholders to address the border issues. The study group is the highest authority on matters pertaining to the Mizoram-Assam border. The meeting also decided that other members will be appointed to the study group as needed, including representatives from the land revenue and settlement, environment, forest & climate change departments, and officials from the Mizoram Remote Sensing Application Centre. The Mizoram Home Minister, Lalchamliana, stated that Mizoram is firm in its position of using the inner line reserved forest established in 1875 as the boundary. Mizoram and Assam share a 164.6 km long border, and the border dispute between the two states is a long-standing and contentious issue that has remained unresolved for decades. The situation became violent on July 26, 2021, when police forces from both states exchanged fire, resulting in the deaths of six policemen and a civilian from Assam.

Source: Deccan Herald