The Assam Rifles and the Mizoram government have reached an agreement to relocate the paramilitary force’s battalion headquarters from the heart of Aizawl to a location 15 km outside the city, nearing the resolution of an ver three-decades issue. This relocation stems from an incident in 1988 when 12 civilians were killed by Assam Rifles personnel, prompting the state government, led by then-Chief Minister Laldenga, to demand the force’s removal from the capital.
On Saturday, Chief Minister Lalduhoma announced that the Assam Rifles would begin moving out of Aizawl in April 2025 to a new base in Zokhawsang, located about 15 km from the city. A memorandum of agreement (MoA) was signed at Mizoram House in New Delhi on Wednesday, with signatories including Vanlaldina Fanai, Commissioner and Secretary to the Government of Mizoram, and Lieutenant General Vikas Lakhera, Director General of Assam Rifles.
The MoA will take effect on April 1, 2025, although some construction at the Zokhawsang site remains incomplete. The Mizoram government will also pay a depreciated cost to Assam Rifles by the deadline, and all vacated land will be reserved for public use under the Mizoram (Restriction on Use of Transferred Land) Act, 2022.