Assam: Mizo Communities in Sribhumi Seek Merger with Mizoram

SRIBHUI: The leaders of the Mizo communities in Assam's Sribhumi district, especially from the Singla and Langkaih valleys, have renewed their demand to merge with Mizoram, citing concerns over their security, cultural preservation, and religious identity.

The Thangram Indigenous People's Movement (TIPM), representing the Zo indigenous people of the region, met Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma at Aizawl recently. The movement suggested that his government ensure that their villages come under Mizoram, contending that their community would be better protected under the Mizoram administration.

A TIPM leader, who wished to remain anonymous, said that their communities have long felt neglected by the Assam government, receiving minimal development benefits and welfare schemes. They feel that merging with Mizoram would give them greater socio-political security and economic opportunities.

Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma acknowledged the concerns of the Mizo communities in the two valleys and assured them that he was on their side. The TIPM delegation was accompanied by representatives from Mizoram's leading student organization, Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), which further heightened the significance of the issue in Mizo youth and intellectual circles.

The demand for the merger is not something new. For over two years now, since 2020, the Mizo communities in the Singla and Langkaih valleys have been pressing for integration with Mizoram. In 2021, TIPM submitted memoranda to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah formally voicing their desire to be integrated into Mizoram. The movement had also received an initial fillip from the earlier Mizo National Front (MNF) government under Zoramthanga, though during his tenure, nothing concrete came about.

TIPM leaders allege that more than 30,000 Zo ethnic people live in the Singla and Langkaih valleys, which comprise about 180 square miles of area. Thangram or the Western part consists of 24 villages bordering the Mamit district of Mizoram. According to the leaders, it has been traditionally inhabited by the Mizo or Zo tribes, and this territory was part of Mizoram before Mizoram gained the status of a full-fledged state in 1987.

The Mizo leaders also claimed that the Assam government has largely forgotten the region when it comes to the motive of development and welfare programs. They described their villages as being plagued with poor infrastructure, lack of educational and health facilities, and abysmal governmental care. This heightened sense of neglect has motivated them toward the current move for a merger with the Mizoram state, where they think their community can have far better opportunities and protection.

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