Historical and political perspectives

(The writer can be reached at

thanahnamte@yahoo.com)

The recent skirmishes along the Assam-Mizoram borders highlight the simmering tensions between the two states dating back to the Colonial era when present day Mizoram was known as Lushai Hills.

Interestingly, the border issues usually tend to get stoked up at a time when elections are on the horizon. There is absolutely no doubt that the issue is once again being used as a prop by indurate politicians and political parties in Assam with an eye on the forthcoming Assembly Election slated for April 2021.

Sadly, election, power and position, not people are the preoccupations of politicians in this country.

Historical backdrop to systematic and relentless encroachment of Lushai Hills territory establishment of tea industry in Cachar in the early 19th Century

The Charter Act of 1833 put an end to the East India Company's monopoly on profitable trade with China. The Company needed to find alternative sources of supply of tea. Based on the recommendations of The "Tea Committee" constituted by Lord W. Bentinck, Assam, including undivided Cachar was also identified for tea plantation.

Tea plantations grew incredibly fast in undivided Cachar during the last quarter of the 19th century, especially with the introduction of government's land leases on easy terms. The British imported labour from Bihar to work in the tea gardens. The local indigenous people living in Cachar were not interested in working as labour neither in the tea gardens nor in increasing or expanding land to meet the additional requirement of food for the large labour population employed in the tea gardens.

The British therefore, encouraged Bangali Muslim peasants from East Bengal (now Bangladesh) to move into undivided Cachar for putting land under cultivation. This set in motion a very predictable pattern which has been continuing to this day. This completely changed the demographic pattern of present day Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi districts and the indigenous people in these districts are now reduced to a miniscule minority on their own lands.

For decades, without much fuss, a large land-hungry population has transplanted itself from Bangladesh to Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi districts and spread itself all along the Assam-Mizoram boundaries, ever looking for land to occupy.

Reasons behind frequent clashes between the British and the Lushais

With easy land leases on offer, Europeans took to tea cultivation in undivided Cachar. Soon, most of the waste lands available within undivided Cachar were covered with tea plantations and by the end of 19th century; as many as 200 tea gardens were established in Cachar.

As the available land shrunk, encroachment into the territory of the Lushai Chiefs was inevitable, leading to conflicts between the British and the Lushais.

During the days of mad rush for cultivation of tea, large plots of waste land were sold in London for huge sums. But when the authorities came to look for the lands they had purchased, they found the plots were situated in a tract which the British Government acknowledged to be part of Lushai territory. The lesse therefore, could not be put in possession of the lands.

Confrontations with the British Government

The indiscriminate encroachment of the British tea planters into their lands infuriated the Lushai Chiefs and immediately struck the tea gardens and villages in Cachar and Sylhet. The first recorded Lushai raid in Cachar took place in the year 1849. Lushais attacked Rupcherra in which 29 persons were killed and 42 carried off as captives (the British termed these attacks as 'raids' to justify their commercial and colonial ambitions). Lt. Colonel Lister, Political Agent of the Khasi Hills was directed to proceed against the Lushais and in 1850, he led a strong expedition consisting of Sylhet Light Infantry regiment backed by well trained 150 Armed Police, entered Lushai hills but was beaten by the powerful and ferocious Lushais and therefore, beat a hasty retreat. From beginning of 1870 to end of the year 1871, as many as 20 major Lushai retaliatory attacks were recorded. Lushai chiefs violently attacked British positions in Chittagong, Cachar, Tripura, Sylhet and Manipur. In January, 1871, simultaneous attacks were launched on Katlichhera, Alexandrapur, Ainakhal, Moniarkhal, Dharmikhal and Nagdirgram in Cachar and Sylhet.

Demarcation of boundaries between British India and Independent sovereign Lushai Hills Notification of 1875

The British authority realized the necessity of boundary demarcation between the British territory and the Lushai hills country. In December 1869, John Ware Edgar, the Deputy Commissioner of Cachar was sent to Lushai Hills and he managed to reach an agreement with the powerful Lushai Chief Suakpuilala and a treaty was signed on 14th January, 1871 (or putting it in Mizo language 'Sa Ui an tan' meaning they ratified the agreement by animal sacrifice).

In order to observe the sanctity of the boundary agreement, the recommendations of the boundary demarcation parties were accepted by the Government of India and the Government of Assam too thought it prudent to strictly adhered to the boundary agreement of 1871 as alteration of the treaty would lead to misunderstanding and suspicion of the Lushai Chiefs.

This is the basis for the Notification of 1875 framed under Section V of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations of 1873.The treaty entered into between the British and the Lushais was confirmed by Notification No. 2299P dated 20 August 1875 signed by Mr. C.U Aichison, Foreign Secretary, Government of India, as representative of the Queen. This notification clearly marked demarcation of boundaries between undivided Cachar district of Assam and Lushai Hills. 46 demarcation pillars were erected at strategic points along the boundaries.

Assam Government's note on Lushai Hills, 1873 to 1889 para 86 clearly noted that "The southern boundary of the Cachar District was defined and gazetted under the Inner Line Regulation in August 1875, and is now marked by 46 boundary pillars which are inspected nearly every year and kept in good order"

All these pillars have since been surreptitiously removed by Assam in course of time.

It should be noted that boundary demarcation as notified in the Notification of 1875 was an international boundary between British India and the Lushai Hills country and is the result of an agreement between two sovereign states.

Colonization of Lushai Hills after 1890 and its political status under British rule

Initially, the British had no intention to colonize Lushai Hills. Even an expansionist like Lord Dalhousie wanted to leave the hill men to themselves and followed a peaceful policy towards them. However, as confrontations with the warring hill tribes increased, the British felt that their economic and financial interests were under threat.

Lushai (Mizo) history was mostly interpreted from the colonial point of view. The British considered the Lushais as the most troublesome tribes of the Northeast Frontiers of British India and branded them as 'warlike' 'head hunters' and 'wild savages'. It is precisely this so-called primitive wild marauders tag that the British used to justify their annexation of the Lushais, while the Lushais were fiercely protective of their territory and independence. In 1891 the entire Lushai hills was annexed by the British and placed under their administration. Thus history of Lushai resistance for their territory and independence, which was a great threat for British India came to an end.

Administration of Lushai Hills

After annexation of the Lushai Hills, the British administered the Hills through the existing chiefs. The eitire Hills was placed under the charge of a Superintendent with headquarters at Aizawl.

The Lushai Hills was classified as a 'Backward Tract' by the Government of India Act, 1919 Section 52 (A) and ultimately included within the "Excluded Area' in Part I of the Government of India Act, 1935.

In accordance with Section 311(1) of the Government of India Act, 1935, Lushai Hills (now Mizoram) was neither a part of British India nor of Burma, much less under the administration of Assam Government, until India attained independence in 1947.

Lushai Hills came under the Indian Union when the British planned to leave India. The issue of whether or not the Mizos should have joined the Indian Union on their own accord is still an ongoing debate in intellectual circles even today.

Notification No. 2106 A.P dated 9th March, 1933 issued by Assam Provincial Government which marked the boundary between Lushai hills and Manipur had no authority to unilaterally alter the existing boundary demarcations between Assam and Lushai Hills as was notified by the Foreign Secretary, Government of India in accordance with the treaty entered into between two sovereign states. Also, neither the Lushai Hills administration nor the people of Lushai Hills were ever consulted. The Assam Government at the time had no authority to change or alter its boundary with Lushai Hills which was not under its jurisdiction.

Assam's claims on the territories of neighbouring states are there political compulsions?

Assam harbours border disputes with each of its neighbours except for Tripura and Manipur. Border areas have their own issues and peculiarities and are vulnerable to illegal infiltration which adds pressure on economic and environmental resources.

Illegal migrant was the core issue behind the student movement in Assam and was a contributory factor behind the birth of insurgency in the state.

As has been mentioned earlier, large-scale population movement from East Bengal (now Bangladesh) started after the British annexed Assam. Development of tea industry in the Assam valleys sowed the seeds of changes in demographic landscape. British encouragement of the Muslim peasants from East Bengal to migrate into Assam and cultivate the land has opened the floodgate which has been continuing till today.

The problem of inflow of illegal migrants from Bangladesh into Assam is an intractable issue. Successive governments in the State have not adequately met the challenges. As elections to Assam State Assembly approach, the citizenship tangle takes centre stage once again. Assam's NRC which many groups touted as the answer to social, political and economic anxieties that rocked the state for decades has left more questions that it resolved.

While the CAA of 2019 may appear innocuous in itself, when combined with NRC, the exercise snowballed into a huge issue for the present Assam Government. The bureaucratic process of determining citizenship ended in August 2019, over 1.9 millions rejects were supposed to appeal against their exclusion in the foreigners tribunals. Even after one year, the process of appeals is yet to be set in motion. Even the tribunals to handle the NRC cases are yet to be set up.

The districts along the borders with Bangladesh have a high population of Muslims. Going into the polls, every political party in Assam will have to walk a tight rope; they cannot risk alienating a large section of population which can potentially become vote banks for them. Not a single political party in Assam seems genuinely interested in resolving it. It is a vicious circle.

As far as Assam is concerned, it seems the chickens have come home to roost.