A recent statement by the All India Chakma Students’ Union (AICSU) has set off a sharp reaction in Tlabung, Mizoram, with YMA branches and local Mizo residents rejecting what they view as an attempt to frame the town and surrounding areas as historically Chakma territory.
The dispute rests on two distinct historical questions that have become entangled: the historical extent of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), and the historical identity of Demagiri, the town now known as Tlabung.
AICSU’s Historical Case
In a statement dated August 30, 2026, AICSU laid out its position on the CHT and Demagiri, drawing on historical maps, colonial administrative records, and academic publications.
The organisation argued that Chakmas have a long-established presence in the CHT, noting that the region was governed during British rule by three recognised Rajas, the Chakma, Mong, and Bohmong kings, with the Chakmas constituting the largest hill tribe there.
AICSU also cited a map of Bengal drawn between 1525 and 1550 by Portuguese cartographer Diego de Astor, which it says marks a place called “Chacomas” on the eastern bank of the Karnaphuli River.
This material, according to AICSU, establishes the historical presence and political weight of the Chakma kingdom within the CHT.
The Demagiri Connection
Tlabung’s role in the dispute traces back to its former name, Demagiri. AICSU points out that British records consistently used this name, with spelling variants such as “Demagree” and “Demagri.”
The town’s current name dates to a September 27, 1973 resolution of the Mizoram Legislative Assembly, moved by MLA Saitlawma, which formally changed Demagiri to Tlabung.
AICSU then turns to accounts of Demagiri’s geography and administrative placement, which forms the crux of its argument. It cites Sir Robert Reid, Governor of Assam from 1937 to 1942, who described Demagiri as topographically within the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
But the same source AICSU relies on notes that British authorities subsequently chose, for administrative purposes, to place Demagiri under the South Lushai Hills instead. AICSU also references an 1879 Government of Bengal notification defining the CHT boundary along rivers and mountain ranges, which passes north of Demagiri.
From this, AICSU concludes that Demagiri was geographically part of the CHT, even while being administered separately under the South Lushai Hills.
How Tlabung Residents Responded
Mizo residents and YMA leaders interpreted AICSU’s references to Chakma historical territory as an assertion of ownership over Tlabung, and rejected it firmly. In a resolution adopted on September 7, residents declared that the town had belonged to the Mizo people from time immemorial and had never been a Chakma village.
They accused AICSU of disrespecting Mizo territorial rights and authority, described Tlabung as a settlement where Mizo language, culture, and religion are practised and protected, and demanded that AICSU withdraw the statement and apologise. The resolution also warned against future statements labelling any Mizoram village as Chakma territory.
That same day, leaders from several YMA branches in Tlabung burned copies of the AICSU statement. YMA Tlabung Branch president TC Lalnunmawia called the AICSU position a historical distortion.
YMA Zodin Branch finance secretary Vanlalhmuaka and YMA Chawnpui Branch president Vanlalnghaka Palian both stated that Tlabung and its surroundings had never been Chakma territory. The gathering passed resolutions reaffirming the town’s Mizo identity and rejecting any claim of Chakma ownership.
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