MIZORAM | Why Assam Rifles Is Relocating Amid Tensions in Myanmar

On March 16, Union Home Minister Amit Shah presided over a ceremony in Aizawl, Mizoram, marking the handing over of Assam Rifles’ (AR) operational office, which will be relocated to Zokhawsang, 15 km away.

Shah said the relocation represents not just a move by the Centre towards the benefit of Aizawl’s residents, but also signifies the government’s responsibility toward the Mizo people. He added that the BJP government sought to ensure security, peace, and conserve the beauty of Mizoram, with the Prime Minister personally overseeing development projects in the State.

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The demand to relocate AR’s operational command was first raised by the Mizo National Front (MNF) government, led by Laldenga, in 1988, following a violent clash that resulted in the death of a dozen people. In February 2019, the then-Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh instructed AR to move to a new site in Zokhawsang by May 31 of that year. However, the relocation process was delayed by the lack of basic facilities in Zokhawsang. It was in April 2023 that Shah inaugurated the construction of the new operational command complex in Zokhawsang.

Citizens’ complaints

Residents of the city have long voiced their concerns about the operational command being located in the city centre, citing issues related to urban expansion and the inconveniences they faced. This issue also became a politically volatile one, particularly for the MNF, which made the transfer of the operational command a focal point in the 2018 and 2023 Assembly elections. But with the relocation, which involves the AR ceding 106.853 acres of land in Aizawl in exchange for 1,305.15 acres offered by the Mizoram government on lease in Zokhawsang, a long-standing issue appears to have been resolved.  

On October 23, 2024, an agreement was signed between the Mizoram State government and the AR in New Delhi to move its operational battalion from Aizawl to Zokhawsang by April 30 of this year. However, the AR’s 23 Sector Headquarters (the administrative headquarters) will continue to operate in Khatla, along with its DIG residence near the Raj Bhavan. The area that will be vacated will be designated for public use under the Transferred Land Restricted Use Act of 2022.

India’s oldest paramilitary force

Shah said that one of the top priorities of the Modi government is to promote development in the northeastern States and to establish lasting peace in the region. He stated that the relocation of the Assam Rifles reflects the Central government’s commitment to fulfilling the aspirations of the local population. This move is crucial for the development of both Mizoram and Aizawl, a task that has been hindered for the past 35 years due to the local topography and the lack of suitable land.

The AR, established in Aizawl in 1925, the same year the city was founded, is the oldest paramilitary force in India, originally raised in 1835 as the Cachar Levy militia; it adopted its current name in 1917. The 23 Sector AR headquarters in Aizawl City houses two cannons that date back to the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The Aizawl Fort and the AR’s Quarter Guards were established in Aizawl between 1892 and 1897. Operating under the control of the Indian Army, the AR functions under the ministries of home affairs and defence, with its personnel recruited from the Indian Army.

‘Rising influx of Myanmar refugees’

Meanwhile, the Mizoram-based social activist V.L. Thlamuanpuia recenly wrote to the Home Minister about the influx of refugees into the State. He had previously met Mizoram Governor V.K. Singh and urged him to bring the matter to the attention of the Centre, to advocate for stricter border control and prevent cross-border crime. In his letter, Thlamuanpuia wrote that the rising influx of Myanmar refugees into Mizoram had implications on national security, the demographic of the State, and created a strain on local resources.

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According to Thlamuanpuia, the entry of refugees posed a risk to border security, had led to increased cross-border crime such as human trafficking, trade in narcotics and psychotropic substances, and the smuggling of explosive materials. He added there a large-scale use of fake documents by illegal immigrants .The social activist urged the Home Minister to formulate a policy to strengthen security along the Myanmar border. On March 10, Chief Minister Lalduhoma told the Assembly that US and UK citizens travel through Mizoram to train insurgents in Myanmar. He added that some 2,000 foreigners had come to Aizawl during June-December last year, most of them from the US and UK.

According to some reports that quoted Indian intelligence agencies, the presence of US and Chinese personnel in Myanmar has led to an unexpected increase in sensitive activities along the Indo-Myanmar border. Recently, the US ambassador, for instance, visited Aizawl without prior information. The Home Ministry, on its part, has re-imposed the Protected Area Regime in Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland bordering Myanmar. The Lengpui Airport in Aizawl is the only airport in the northeastern border States that is controlled by the Mizoram government (the rest are administered by the Airport Authority of India). The Central government has increased surveillance along the Indo-Myanmar border and is closely watching the developments here.

Suwa Lal Jangu is assistant professor, political science, Mizoram University, Aizawl.