In self-defence

Clashes between Mizos and non-Mizos, like the one that paralysed Aizawl on May 15, are not new to Mizoram. They have been a regular occurrence since the latter half of the 19th century, when the state was not even a part of British India. To understand the causes of the violence against outsiders, one must first know the history of the state.

The Mizos were subjugated by the British towards the end of the 19th century, when frequent raids on the tea gardens of Assam culminated in the killing of a British tea garden manager and the kidnapping of his daughter, Mary Winchester, in 1872. The Mizo chiefs fought many battles with the British between 1872 and 1890, before they were defeated. When the British finally left Mizoram in 1947, the Mizos left their options open — they decided to be a part of India for 10 years, leaving a final decision for later.

This became a bone of contention between the Mizos and the Indian government, particularly in 1959, when a famine in the state led to the birth of the Mizo National Famine Front, led by Laldenga. The MNFF complained that the Assamese officials in Shillong were not paying attention to the distress calls of the Mizo autonomous district council. This grievance, in addition to the feeling of being wrongly denied the freedom to chose as per the initial agreement with the British, led to the formation of the Mizo National Front in 1961. It was this outfit which led the struggle for independence from India in March 1966.

But the MNF was the second political party of the Mizos; the first was the Mizo Union which came into being in 1947 and opted for being part of India so as to rid the Mizos of the traditional rule under chiefs. The MNF, on the other hand, preached Mizo nationalism which took firm root in the psyche of the Mizos who had never felt being a part of India, thanks to the vast differences in customs, facial features and way of life.

This feeling has taken such a turn that hatred for the people of the plains, called “vais” locally, is deeply entrenched among the Mizos. This animosity is compounded by the anger against the Indian army, which committed many atrocities on the Mizos between 1966 to 1986. The MNF even issued “quit Mizoram” notices to the vais in the years between 1972 to 1986. Thus, any minor incident can lead to a flare-up between the Mizos and vais, and if they are not checked fast, they become a full-blown communal clash. The Mizos do not differentiate between Hindus and Muslims, any person without mongoloid features is targeted. Another factor that adds to the Mizos’ feeling of alienation is religion. Being a predominantly Christian state in a largely Hindu nation makes the Mizos feel out of place.

The first communal clash after independence occurred in 1984, when an MNF rebel shot dead a non-Mizo sub-division officer at Saitual. The body was taken out in a procession in Silchar, the district headquarters in Assam nearest to Mizoram, whipping up a mob frenzy and anti-Mizo sentiments. More than five persons, believed to be Mizos, died in the violence. This resulted in a wave of young people from the state trying to get to Silchar to avenge the deaths. Fortunately, the Mizoram administration stopped the youth at Vairengte, around 60 kilometres from Silchar. Had the administration not done this, a bloodbath would have ensued.

The next major incident occurred in 1987, when personnel of the 19th Assam Rifles regiment shot dead 12 civilians in the heart of Aizawl. Though this was not a communal clash, the incident did nothing to alleviate the underlying tension between Mizos and non-Mizos.

The third incident occurred in 1994, when a Mizo driver was killed by some miscreants in Bagha, the first big village in Assam on National Highway number 54. In the resultant mob frenzy against non-Mizos, many shops owned by non-Mizos were looted and burnt.

The May 15 violence comes approximately 10 years later. It was triggered by the procession carrying the dead body of a girl, allegedly murdered by two non-Mizo porters. This led to an angry Mizo mob attacking innocent outsiders going about their daily life.

Perhaps calling these altercations “clashes” is a misnomer since the small vai community in the state has never attacked the locals — in self-defence or otherwise. It is completely dependent on the government for its protection and if the state authorities react sluggishly, it must suffer in silence.

The retaliation to the violence comes from Assam, mainly Silchar, which is about 180 kilometres north of Mizoram on the road connecting the state to the rest of the country. The people of Silchar have imposed economic blockades in protest against the violence on the vais in Mizoram. Such blockades have the potential to virtually starve Mizoram, which is dependent on almost everything, from food-stuffs to construction materials, from outside.

If the main cause of the Mizos’ animosity towards vais is the feeling of not being Indian, another is the fear of assimilation into a larger society, of losing the identity which Mizos proudly display through their traditional customs and dances.

This fear of assimilation is mainly economic. Mizos have little business sense compared to the vais. This, and the safeguards accorded to the people and the state by the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, have resulted in few businesses in the state being run by non-Mizos. The state is so jealously guarded that non-Mizos, especially the entrepreneurial kinds, are not welcomed at all and those deemed essential, like government officers, academics and skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers, are barely tolerated.

Politicians in the state, disregarding these fears, covertly enter into deals with non-Mizo businessmen while overtly supporting the anti-assimilation movement. The Mizos know of this but can do little. Thus, at times, the people vent their frustration by lashing out at the poor non-Mizo workers in the state.

Mizos are generally hospitable and easy-going, unless their identity or religion is threatened. This is clearly seen from the peaceful co-existence of the Mizos and the Gorkhas, who are Hindus, and had been brought to Mizoram by the British. The Gorkhas, who number around 30,000 to 40,000 of the less than ten lakh population of Mizoram, have never had a problem with the Mizos except during the army operations between 1966 to 1970.

Neither have the Mizos ever had a problem with the other tribes in the North-east. Although non-Mizos, Khasis and Manipuris have coexisted peacefully with the Mizos for many years since they are not considered vais. The same applies to the Nagas, Arunachalees and to a certain extent, the Assamese tribals. Vais essentially mean people from outside the North-east. They are considered “Indians’ and hence potential “enemies” of the Mizos because of their large numbers, their business acumen and their ability to permeate other communities.