The Assam government has accused Mizoram of occupying Assam’s land near the 164.6 km inter-State border and this has resulted in economic blockade on Mizoram. The boundary dispute between the two states has resulted in violence in the adjacent districts in Assam and Mizoram.

Claims by Officials of Assam & Mizoram

• So, as per agreement between the two states, status quo was to be maintained in no man’s land in the border area and no construction activity was allowed.

• According to Mizoram officials, the land claimed by Assam is being cultivated for a long time by residents of Mizoram.

• However, officials from Assam said that even though the contested land was historically cultivated by Mizoram residents, on paper it fell within the Singla Forest Reserve that is under Karimganj district’s jurisdiction in Assam.

• The boundary dispute between the two states has been simmering since the formation of Mizoram as a separate state in the 1980s.

• The boundary between present-day Assam and Mizoram, 165 km long today, dates back to the colonial era, when Mizoram was known as Lushai Hills, a district of Assam.

• The dispute stems from a notification of 1875 that differentiated Lushai Hills from the plains of Cachar, and another of 1933 that demarcates a boundary between Lushai Hills and Manipur.

• The notification of 1875 is derived from the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) Act, 1873. So, based on this 1873 Act, Mizoram leaders have argued against the demarcation notified in 1933 because according to them the Mizo society was not consulted.

• What adds to the problem is that Assam Government follows the demarcation made in 1933 which that demarcates a boundary between Lushai Hills and Manipur.

About Inner Line Permit & Recent Developments

The Inner Line Permit was established by the British government under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873 to safeguard tribals of eastern part of Bengal. The 1873 regulation is also known as Inner Line Regulation (ILR) or Inner Line Permit (ILP).

• The system requires outsiders to obtain a permit from the government to enter the designated territory.

• It can be issued for travel purposes solely.

• The main objective of the ILP system is to provide a special protection of the distinct identity and safeguard for the peaceful existence of the indigenous people of the state where it is applicable.

• System of ILP is applicable in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. State of Manipur has been added recently in the Inner Line Permit System in December, 2019.

• Recently, the Meghalaya Assembly has adopted a resolution for implementing the Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime in the state, which will impose restrictions on the entry and movement of ‘outsiders’ in the hill state.

• In this regard, the Chief Minister of Meghalaya has urged the Central Government to include Meghalaya in the preamble of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873.