Mizoram

Mizoram (“land of the Mizos”) is a hill state in India’s northeast whose society evolved through clan-based chieftainships and migrations, with the 18th–19th centuries marked by raids and retaliatory expeditions. In the colonial phase, the Mizo Hills were formally proclaimed part of British India in 1895, and in 1898 the northern and southern hills were unified as the Lushai Hills district with Aizawl as headquarters. The severe bamboo-flowering “mautam” famine (1959) led to the creation of the Mizo National Famine Front (MNFF), which later became the Mizo National Front (MNF) in 1961, setting the stage for political unrest. On 1 March 1966, the MNF launched an armed uprising, and Aizawl faced Indian air attacks in early March—events that remain deeply remembered in the state’s public memory. Mizoram became a Union Territory on 21 January 1972 under the North Eastern Areas re-organisation framework. After negotiations, the Mizoram Accord (Memorandum of Settlement) was signed in New Delhi on 30 June 1986, paving the way for peace and constitutional change. The State of Mizoram Act, 1986 granted full statehood, which took effect on 20 February 1987.