After a 20-month gap, Assam and Mizoram are set to resume their efforts to amicably resolve the inter-State boundary dispute. Talks will reconvene in Aizawl on August 9, marking the first meeting since November 2022.
Mizoram Home Minister K Sapdanga announced the scheduled discussions, confirming that the Assam home secretary had communicated their intention to visit Aizawl. “We conveyed our consent to the Assam government after consulting Chief Minister Lalduhoma,” Sapdanga stated.
The Mizoram delegation will be led by Sapdanga, while Assam’s team will be headed by Border Protection and Development Minister Atul Bora. Sapdanga expressed hope that these talks will finally bring a long-awaited resolution to the border issue.
Previous attempts to advance the dialogue were stalled due to the Lok Sabha elections, despite Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma agreeing in February to send Bora for talks in March.
Since a violent clash in July 2021, which resulted in the deaths of six Assam policemen and one civilian, both sides have maintained the status quo at the disputed boundary. The contentious border spans 164.6 km, involving three districts in Mizoram and three in Assam.
The root of the dispute lies in colonial-era demarcations from 1875 and 1933. Mizoram claims that 509 square miles of inner line reserved forest, as notified in 1875 under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) 1873, belongs to its territory. Conversely, Assam recognises the boundary as per the 1933 Survey of India map.
Negotiations have been ongoing, with multiple ministerial-level meetings since August 2021 aimed at maintaining peace and resolving the conflict through dialogue.
