Union home minister Amit Shah arrived in Aizawl on March 15 and presided over the handing-over ceremony of the Assam Rifles (AR)’s operational office. This operational command, currently situated in the heart of Aizawl, is being relocated to Zokhawsang, which is 15 kilometres away.
During the event in Aizawl, Shah emphasised that one of the top priorities of the Narendra 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 AR reflected the Union 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 lack of suitable land, he said.
Shah remarked that the relocation decision signifies the Union government’s responsibility toward the Mizo people.
The history behind the AR’s relocation
In October 2024, an agreement was signed between the Mizoram state government led chief minister Lalduhoma and the AR in New Delhi to move the operational battalion of the AR from Aizawl city to Zokhawsang by April 30 of this year. However, the 23 Sector Headquarters (the administrative headquarters) of the AR will continue to operate in Khatla, along with its DIG’s residence near the Raj Bhavan.
The area that will be vacated following the location of the operational command will be designated for public use under the Transferred Land Restricted Use Act of 2022.
In 2009, the Mizoram government allocated land for the resettlement of the AR in Zokhawsang. The demand to relocate the army from this historic site was initiated by various politicians, with all political parties in the state advocating for it.
Residents believe that moving the AR out of the city is essential for the town’s expansion and development. The relocation of the army’s main barracks has remained a prominent topic during elections, leading to an emotional contest among political parties to win the electorate’s support.
The Mizo National Front (MNF), led by Laldenga, has been calling for the relocation of the AR battalion from Lammual since 1988. In 2009, the Congress party had allocated land in Zokhawsang for the army, and the current ruling party, the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), officially began the relocation process on March 15.
Ongoing land settlement cases in court
In 1975, the then-Union territory government had allotted land for residence purposes to some MLAs on the AR’s land. Later, some MLAs sold the allotted land to third parties (individuals) instead of returning it to the government. However, 11 individuals withdrew their claims in court.
“After the AR vacates the Lammual land, real political and legal hurdles will come up. There are already 30 land claims pending in court. How will the government utilise this vacant land until these cases are settled in court? This is a big land scam,” says analyst C. Lalnundika.
Land settlement cases regarding the Lammual land of the AR are ongoing in the Gauhati high court. Questions have arisen about how the state government granted leases (land ownership certificates) to more than a dozen individuals for the Lammual land of the AR, particularly since records from 1952 to the present indicate that this land belongs to the government.
In 2021, documents related to the land settlement were lost in a fire at the Aizawl district collector’s office.
The government defined the boundaries of the main barrack area of the AR as per the Assam Gazette of 1952.
Relocating the main barrack from Lammual would erase 130 years of historical heritage associated with the AR in Aizawl city.
Lammual represents an emotional symbol and significant historical heritage for the operational battalion, including the AR War Memorial, Quarter-Guards, a garrison post, a jail, a clock facility, a parade and training grounds and other notable historical sites critical to a military force.
None of these heritage sites will be available at the new location in Zokhawsang, which also lacks the necessary field grounds for the army.
The AR will require 430,000 litres of water per day at Zokhawsang, but the state government cannot give a guarantee of required water supply during the off-season.
“While residents do not experience any inconvenience from the presence of the AR, the local people have been using the grounds and facilities of the AR without any issue,” says V.L. Nunthara, a Lammual resident.
An ex-AR officer, who preferred to remain anonymous, said, “The strategic and historical significance of the AR was overlooked by the Union government parties during the decision-making process to relocate the main barracks from Lammual.”
AR’s century-long tryst with Aizawl
The AR were established in Aizawl in 1925, the same year the city was founded. They are the oldest paramilitary force in India, originally raised in 1835 as the Cachar Levy Militia and adopting their current name in 1917. Operating under the control of the Indian army, the AR function under the ministries of home affairs and defence, with their personnel recruited from the Indian army.
The demand to relocate the operational command of the AR from Aizawl was first raised by the MNF government led by Laldenga in 1988, following a violent clash that resulted in the deaths of at least ten civilians.
In February 2019, then-Union home minister Rajnath Singh instructed the AR to move to a new site at Zokhawsang by May 31 of that year. However, the relocation process was delayed due to lack of basic facilities at Zokhawsang.
In April 2023, home minister Shah inaugurated the construction of the new operational command complex of the AR at Zokhawsang.
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 Quarter Guards of the AR were established in Aizawl between 1892 and 1897 at the H.R. Ground.
The politics in the relocation of AR
Residents of the city have voiced their concerns about the operational command being located in the city centre, citing issues related to urban expansion and various inconveniences.
Additionally, this issue has become a political topic, particularly for the MNF, which made the transfer of the operational command a focal point in the 2018 and 2023 assembly elections. Tensions rose between the Union government and the previous MNF administration regarding the AR’s relocation.
The most important question is whether the state government will be able to preserve the heritage of the AR. Political competition has emerged among the three major political parties in the state – the Congress, the MNF and the ZPM – regarding the relocation of the AR.
Rosangliana, a PhD scholar, expressed concern about the use of the land that will be freed up by the relocation of the AR.
The needs of the local people, the interests of the government and the views of competing political parties are not compatible, they are in conflict, he said.
He feared that the state government will not be able to preserve the Lammual heritage of the AR in the long run.
Rosangliana critiqued the understanding of state politicians, noting, “The state government is removing the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation, which is located in front of the AR and next to the SBI central branch, and replacing it with a college and a shopping mall on the vacant land.”
The people of Aizawl desire the development of public amenities on the land vacated by the AR. The ruling party has plans to open its office there and during a recent budget session in the assembly, Lalduhoma stated that a new assembly building and state university will be constructed on the vacant land.
Lammual is the most significant location in Aizawl city, and political parties and politicians have made the situation a matter of prestige and party interests.
“People are uncomfortable with the presence of the military in the middle of the city. Aizawl is a peaceful city; the situation is not the same as it was four decades ago. The army is needed, but it doesn’t need to be present in the centre of the city,” says J.C. Zomuanthanga from the Mizoram University’s department of political science.
The residents of Aizawl describe the process of moving the army out of the city as historic and are pleased that their 35-year-old dream has come true.
Lalnunpuia, a local retailer, has other concerns about the AR’s relocation.
“Until now, people in the city have been using the facilities of the [AR in Lammual] without any problem, but now, after the relocation, common people will face a lot of problems with the landowners who have land acquisition certificates,” said Lalnunpuia.
Moving the operational battalion of the AR out of the city could damage the 135-year-old pride and legacy associated with it.
Suwa Lal Jangu is assistant professor of political science, Mizoram University, Aizawl.
