Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Aizawl: The Mizo National Front is fighting back. The opposition party threatened legal action against critics who claim its former government distributed land in central Aizawl formerly occupied by the Assam Rifles to private individuals. Senior leader and former revenue minister Lalruatkima demanded a public apology and clarification from those spreading these reports.
The controversy ignited after retired Assam Rifles officer Major Babie Lalduhsangi claimed in a video interview that more than 60 land settlement certificates, or LSCs, exist in areas once held by the force. She specifically alleged that Lammual ground was carved into four certificates for private use before the state took control. Lalruatkima challenged Chief Minister Lalduhoma and Lalduhsangi to identify these alleged beneficiaries. He stated, "The party would move court if those making the allegations failed to apologise and issue a public clarification."
Lalruatkima rejected the claims as politically motivated. He pointed to the Mizoram (Restriction on Use of Transferred Land) Act of 2002, which prevents private acquisition. According to the party, the MNF cabinet voted on March 8, 2019, to cancel existing LSCs within those zones. Records indicate only 54 certificates existed, four of which served public functions, including a primary school, a village council court, and a Public Health Engineering facility.
Assam Rifles properties in Aizawl once included Zodin Square, Lammual, Khatla, Babutlang, and the Chite area. While the force moved many establishments to Zokhawsang under an October 2024 deal with the Zoram People's Movement government—an event marked by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on March 15, 2025—they still hold the sector headquarters at Khatla and the deputy inspector general's residence at Tuikhuahtlang. Lalruatkima noted that the previous MNF administration drafted a relocation agreement on December 17, 2019, and cited three ongoing court cases involving LSC holders and the Central Young Mizo Association.
Comments