Gunfight at Lailapur: Playing on the familiar fear of influx

A heady, potent cauldron of demographics, complicated geography, competing historical claims, and conflicting economic interests have led to one of the biggest breakouts of violence in the vexed Assam-Mizoram border dispute, writes senior journalist Sanjib Kr Baruah

New Delhi: Located in Assam's Cachar district just bordering Mizoram, Lailapur may be a lovely sounding name. But on Monday morning, it was anything but that when bullets flew all around in the one-horse town in the foothills of the Lushai hills. At least six Assam policemen were gunned down while about 70 were injured.

While Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted that the Mizoram Police had used light machine guns (LMGs) on the Assam Police, there were social media videos showing Mizo civilians brandishing automatic weapons with prohibited bores, at least one fitted with telescopic sights. It raised questions on the active involvement of civilians who were armed with deadly but illegal weapons.

The central paramilitary forces were soon rushed in to assume control of the area and stand as the buffer between the two-state police forces. But the story of high unease between the Bengali-speaking people on the Assam side of the inter-state border and the Mizos on the other side is not new.

Notifications

Not clearly demarcated, the Assam-Mizoram border is unclear at many stretches with the Lailapur-Vairengte being one of the flashpoints. At the heart of the disagreement are two legislations. A 1875 notification demarcated the Lushai Hills from the plain of Cachar while another notification in 1933 divided the Lushai Hills-Manipur boundary. While Mizoram emphasizes adherence to the 1875 rule, Assam insists on the 1933 notification.

What adds to the complexity is the nature of the concept of tribal ownership of land that uses geographical features like mountains, rivers and forests as landmarks to lay claim to traditional ownership. This is at odds with the modern concept of ownership that insists on papers and legalities.

Population Mix

For a long period of time, the forested Lailapur-Vairengte border remained free of serious disturbances but increasing population pressure on the scarce land resources took a toll.

The Mizos insist that Lailapur’s population has soared in recent years with most of the newer additions suspected to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Rohingyas from Myanmar who had escaped their country to escape persecution.

With a spike in population, erstwhile forests were being gradually cleared and homesteads raised by the new settlers leading to the occupation of buffer areas that were left untouched in the recent past setting the stage for an imminent confrontation.

NH-302

The highway connecting Lailapur with Vairengte is the National Highway 306 and is the main road link with the rest of the country. It is also called the ‘lifeline’ of Mizoram as it is through this highway that all goods including food cargo are sent to the land-locked state with scarce resources.

Because of the geographical advantage, people on the Assam side in Lailapur often resort to roadblocks to hit back at the Mizos who they accuse of harassment. Blocking off the ‘lifeline’ leads to immense difficulties and discomfort for the Mizos. As a result, more often than not, the act of holding the NH-302 hostage to get even with the Mizos has acted as the immediate cause for the issue to blow up.

Drugs and Guns

NH-302 is also one of the main transit points for the transport of illegal drugs from the 'Golden Triangle' area of Myanmar-Laos-Thailand. With rampant militancy in the Northeast, the road is also one of the routes for the movement of illegal weapons.

With Bangladesh not very far off and Myanmar facing immense political uncertainty after the February takeover by the ‘Tatmadaw’, smuggling activities have been on the rise of late, with substantial illegal traffic believed to be carried on the NH-302.

Therefore, there is a definite undercurrent of competition among elements on both sides as whoever controls the illegal commerce on the highway wields greater power.

While the border issue may have been silenced for now, it is just a question of time before it erupts again. That is unless the two sides sit together and chart out a new agreement based on mutual respect, fraternal feelings and understanding.