Mizo District Explained

Native Name:Lushai: Mizoram[1]
Conventional Long Name:Lushai Hills

Mizo District
Nation:India
Era:Cold War
Event Start:District established
Year Start:1947
Date Start:15 August
Event End:Granted UT status
Year End:1972
Date End:15 August
Life Span:1947–1972
Event2:Abolished chieftainship (Lushai Hills Reorganisation of Chiefs’ Rights Act, 1954)[2]
Date Event2:1954
Event3:Renamed as Mizo District (The Lushai Hills District (Change of Name) Act, 1954)[3]
Date Event3:1954
Event4:Mautam famine
Date Event4:1959
Event5:Mizo rebellion against India
Date Event5:28 February 1966
Status Text:Former autonomous district of Assam
Capital:Aizawl
Deputy1:Shri. S.N. Barkataki
Deputy2:Shri. G.C. Srivastava
Year Deputy1:1952–1953 (first)[4]
Year Deputy2:1972 (last)[5]
Title Deputy:Deputy Commissioner
P1:British rule in the Lushai HillsBritish Lushai Hills
S1:Union Territory of Mizoram
Stat Year1:1951
Stat Pop1:196,202[6]
Stat Year2:1971
Stat Pop2:332,339[7]
Today:Mizoram

The Mizo District, formerly called Lushai Hills District, was an autonomous district of the Indian state of Assam from 1947 till 1972 until it was granted the status of a Union Territory. This region was a significant part of Mizo history as it formally abolished the Mizo chieftainship system in 1952.

History

A Lushai Hills district was formed in 1898 under British India, merging the former North Lushai Hills and South Lushai Hills regions into a single district of the Assam province. It was regarded as an Excluded Area, beyond the Inner Line, which meant that the laws and regulations of the province did not apply and the people from the plains could not access it without a permit.

After the independence of India, the district continued to exist in the same form, with the typology changed to Scheduled Area and Inner Line in place. In addition, the district was granted an autonomous district council to formulate its own laws and regulations under the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India.

Prior to independence, the people of the district rallied behind a "Mizo" identity and formed a political party called Mizo Union. In 1954, the Government of India accepted their demand and changed the name of the district to Mizo District.

The first Mizo chief to give up his chiefdom and chieftainship was Khawvelthanga of Maubuang (1885–1971).[8]

During the Mautam famine of the 1959, Mizo District experienced severe food shortages, and the impact on the Mizo population was profound. Over a hundred people starved to death.[9] Estimations say that around two million rats were killed and collected by the locals.

The Mizo population were extremely upset with the Assam Government as they predicted about the famine two years earlier, but no response was given. As a result, the Mizo National Famine Front was formed for the Mizo people to gain a more autonomous state.[10] In addition, in 1960, the Assam Government officialised Assamese as the official language of Assam without consideration of the Mizo language. These reasons led to the Mizo National Front uprising.

See also

Notes and References

  1. "Mizo Chanchin, Bu II – A History of Lushai Hills, Part II [1947]", British Library, EAP454/13/12, https://eap.bl.uk/archive-file/EAP454-13-12
  2. https://academic.oup.com/book/10383/chapter-abstract/158192519?redirectedFrom=fulltext
  3. https://kanoongpt.in/bare-acts/the-lushai-hills-district-change-of-name-act-1954/section-3
  4. https://aizawl.nic.in/mz/incumbency-chart-2/
  5. https://aizawl.nic.in/mz/incumbency-chart-2/
  6. "Census of India Website: Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India". www.censusindia.gov.in.
  7. "Census of India Website: Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India". www.censusindia.gov.in.
  8. Ruata Lungchuang. Understanding "Semi - Slavery" In Mizoram And How It Was Abolished. The Mizos, https://www.themizos.com/2022/09/understanding-semi-slavery-in-mizoram.html
  9. https://e-pao.net/epSubPageExtractor.asp?src=education.Science_and_Technology.Mautam_phenomenon_in_NE_States
  10. https://frontline.thehindu.com/politics/playing-the-piper/article5389646.ece