Mizoram History

The history of Mizoram dates back to early 16th century when the tribes known as Mizos were migrated from China and settled in the Shan State. They moved on to Kabaw Valley to Khampat and then to the Chin Hills in the middle of this century. The earliest Mizos who migrated to India were known as Kukis and the second batch of immigrants were called as New Kukis.

In 1894, Christian missionaries arrived to the Manipur area of North East India, intent on converting the local population. Today, the descendants of those Israelites who settled in India and Burma have different names depending on where they live. Some are known as Shinlung, some Kuki, Mizo, Lushai or Mar. In 1894, Christian missionaries arrived to the Manipur area of North East India, intent on converting the local population. The Kukis, having been brought up with an oral history of their link to their ancestor "Manmaseh" and other stories, recognized some of the Bible stories.

The history of Mizoram in between 18th and 19th Century is marked by many instances of tribal raids and retaliatory expeditions of security. Mizo Hills were formally declared as part of the British-India by a proclamation in 1895. North and south hills were united into Lushai Hills district in 1898 with Aizawl as its headquarters. The British continued to rule over the tribal dominated area of Assam from 1919 and during this period Lushai Hills along with some other hill districts was declared a Backward Tract under government of India Act. The tribal districts of Assam including Lushai Hills were declared Excluded Area in 1935.

During British period the political development in the state became significant and the first political party i.e. Mizo Common People's Union was formed on 9th April 1946. The party was later rechristened as Mizo Union. With India’s independence in 1947, the constituent assembly set up an advisory committee to entertain the matters related to minorities and the tribals of the north eastern region. A sub-Committee, under the chairmanship of Gopinath Bordoloi was formed to advise the Constituent Assembly on the tribal affairs in the North East.

Following the Bordoloi Sub-Committee's suggestion, a certain amount of autonomy was accepted by the Government and enshrined in the Six Schedule of the constitution. The LushaiHills Autonomous District Council came into being in 1952 followed by the formation of these bodies led to the abolition of chieftainship in the Mizo society.

The autonomy however met the aspirations of the Mizos only partially. Representatives of the District Council and the Mizo Union pleaded with the States Reorganization Commission (SRC) in 1954 for integrated the Mizo-dominated areas of Tripura and Manipur with their District Council in Assam.

The Mizo tribal leaders were not happy with the SRC recommendations. They raised demand for a separate state comprising of all hill districts of Assam. They met in Aizwal in 1955 and formed a new political party, Eastern India Union (EITU). The protests continued for over three decades and finally the hill problems were realized by the government of India. Mizoram was given a full fledged status of a state only on 20 Feb, 1987 by an amendment in the constitution of India.

Independence" signed on 28 February 1966, pointed out that the Mizos were an "independent nation" before the establishment of colonial rule. They considered the Mizo Union-led merger of Mizo Hills with India, an "act of political immaturity, ignorance and absence of farsightedness" and portrayed India as a land of Hindus and Mizoram as a land of Christians facing persecution under Hindu hegemony. The case of ULFA is quite interesting in this regard.

The Union Territory of Mizoram came into being on 21st January, 1972. Mizoram get two seats in Parliament, one each in the Lok Sabha and in the Rajya Sabha BIRTH OF THE MIZORAM STATE: Rajiv Gandhi's assumption of power following his mother's death. Statehood was a prerequisite to the implementing of the accord singed between the MNF and and the Union Government on 30 June 1986. The document was signed by Laldenga, on the behalf of MNF, and the Union Home Secretary RD Pradhan on behalf of the Government, Lalkhama Chief Secretary of Mizoram, too signed the agreement.