Aizawl: Questions over the ownership and future use of land vacated by Assam Rifles in central Aizawl have resurfaced following remarks by retired Army officer Major Babie Lalduhsangi in an interview published on A Date with Janis on November 4. Her comments have drawn a strong rebuttal from the opposition Mizo National Front (MNF), bringing renewed attention to longstanding disputes over land rights and the relocation process.
The demand to shift Assam Rifles from central Aizawl dates back to 1988, following a firing incident in which 11 civilians were reportedly killed. After decades of delay, the relocation was formalised through a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed between the Mizoram government and Assam Rifles on October 23, 2024. The relocation process began in April 2025, with several properties, including the main barrack complex and Lammual, transferred to the state government. Assam Rifles, however, retained its 23 Sector headquarters and Mizoram Range in Khatla.
A major point of contention has been the Land Settlement Certificates (LSCs) held by individuals within areas previously occupied by Assam Rifles. The Mizoram (Restriction on Use of Transferred Land) Act, 2002, provides safeguards to ensure that land transferred by Assam Rifles to the state is used for public purposes.
In March 2025, the state government constituted an Advisory Committee chaired by Chief Minister Lalduhoma to advise on the allotment and development of the transferred land, with representatives of civil society organisations included as invitees.
In her November 4 interview, Babie raised questions about LSCs at Lammual Football Ground, documents relating to landholders, the negotiations with Assam Rifles and the government’s response to concerns raised by NGOs.
The MNF has disputed her account, demanding details of who issued four LSCs at Lammual and when. It also rejected the claim that more than 60 LSCs had been identified within Assam Rifles premises. The party said government records showed 54 LSCs in the 1st Assam Rifles Battalion headquarters and main barrack area, four in the Commandant Complex at Tuikual South and three at the Nursing Staff Quarters in Zarkawt.
The MNF maintained that these certificates predated its government and said its Cabinet had decided on March 8, 2019, to cancel existing LSCs within the Assam Rifles premises. It also said the previous government had prepared a draft MoA in December 2019 and that negotiations with Assam Rifles had been difficult because of demands it considered burdensome to the state.
The party has demanded a public clarification and apology before the end of November, threatening legal action otherwise.
Meanwhile, the state government has begun planning the use of the vacated land for public infrastructure. Proposals include road widening, a public park, a new Aizawl Police Station and a multipurpose complex with parking facilities and an auditorium.
However, development plans have also faced environmental scrutiny. In April 2026, the Gauhati High Court’s Aizawl Bench took up a suo motu PIL over a proposal to fell 174 trees on the land for road-widening work. The court directed the state government not to cut further trees until further orders.
Legal disputes over land claims also remain pending, including a public interest litigation filed by the Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA) in 2020 and other cases involving landholders.
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