Mizoram | MZP demands apology from Centre for 1966 IAF bombing of Aizawl
News Desk:
The Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) has demanded an apology from the central government for the Aizawl bombing on March 5, 1966 by the then Indira Gandhi government.
While observing the Zoram Ni to mark the 53rd anniversary of the the alleged aerial bombing of Aizawl, MZP president, L Ramdinliana Renthlei said, “The Indian government bombed its citizens and ruthlessly abused and raped the people and they need to apologize to the State.”
He added, “On March 5, 1966, the small and peaceful territory of Mizoram was attacked by the Indian Air Force (IAF) using dreadful bombs upon innocent citizens. The incident cannot die in the Mizo youth and today we remember the day Indian government gave an answer using a bomb to its innocent citizens.”
Mizoram was never a part of India, and someday God will make us free from this bondage”, concluded Renthlei.
During the infamous bombing, the Indian Air Force used an array of incendiary bombs, killing several civilians.
While the Indira Gandhi government has denied the aerial attacks, many historians and writers have shed light on the horrific scenes from the bombing.
Before the formation of the Mizoram state in 1987, the Mizo-dominated areas in India were a part of the Mizo district of the Assam state. The Mizo organisations, including the Mizo Union, had long complained of step-motherly treatment at the hands of the Assam Government, and demanded a separate state for the Mizos.
Every 48 years, a cyclic ecological phenomenon called Mautam leads to widespread famine in this region. When such a famine started in 1959, the Mizos were left disappointed by the Assam Government’s handling of the situation. The introduction of Assamese as the official language of the state in 1960, without any consideration for the Mizo language, led to further discontent and protests.
The growing discontent with the Government ultimately resulted in a secessionist movement led by Mizo National Front (MNF), an organisation that had evolved out of a famine relief team. While the Mizo Union’s demand was limited to a separate state for the Mizos within India, the MNF aimed at establishing a sovereign Christian nation for the Mizos.
The extremist section within MNF advocated the use of violence to seek independence from India. A special armed wing called the Mizo National Army (MNA) was created for the purpose. The MNA consisted of eight infantry “battalions” organised on the pattern of the Indian army. One of the battalions was named after Joshua, while the rest were named after the legendary Mizo heroes: Chawngbawla, Khuangchera, Lalvunga, Saizahawla, Taitesena, Vanapa and Zampui Manga. The Lion Brigade (Chawngbawla, Khuangchera, Saizahawla and Taitesena battalions) operated in the northern half of the district, while the Dagger Brigade (Joshua, Lalvunga, Vanapa and Zampui Manga) operated in its southern half. MNA consisted of around 2000 men, supported by another group called the Mizo National Volunteers (MNV), which comprised an equal number of irregulars.
In the early 1960s, the MNF leaders including Pu Laldenga visited East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), where the Government of Pakistan offered them supply of military hardware and training. Laldenga and his lieutenant Pu Lalnunmawia were arrested by the Government of Assam on the charge of conspiring against the nation, but were released in February 1964 after an undertaking of good conduct by Laldenga. However, shortly after their release, MNF intensified its secessionist activities. The MNF members forcibly collected donations from the Mizo people, recruited volunteers and trained them with arms supplied by Pakistan. By the end of 1965, the MNF weapon cache consisted of the plastic explosives stolen from the Border Roads Organisation, rifles and ammunition obtained from the 1st Assam Rifles (AR) headquartered at Aizawl, crude bombs and stenguns.
The Indian armed forces, fresh from the Sino-Indian War of 1962 and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, were focused on the Indo-Pakistan and Indo-China borders. The extremist MNF leaders wanted to take advantage of this situation by starting an armed rebellion to establish an independent Mizo nation. The rehabilitation of the pro-government Chakma refugees from East Pakistan in the Mizo district further instigated them.
Accordingly, a plan (codenamed “Operation Jericho”) was created to systematically capture the power in the Mizo district. The MNF aimed at taking over the treasuries and the petrol pumps, neutralising the police force and capturing all the important non-Mizo (“Vai”) officials. The MNF flag was to be hoisted at Aizawl on 1 March 1966, followed by a victory parade on 2 March 1966. The MNF arsenal would be supplemented by capturing the armouries of the 1st AR, the Border Security Force (BSF) and the local police. The MNF leaders had hoped that they would have a large number of sympathisers among the local police, the Government officials and the AR, which would make the takeover peaceful. They also hoped that if they could keep their flag flying in Aizawl for 48 hours, other countries such as Pakistan would recognise the Mizo territory as a sovereign nation and take up their case in the United Nations.
The security forces stationed in the Mizo Hills district included the 1st Assam Rifles (1st AR) headquartered at Aizawl, the 5th Border Security Force (5 BSF) and the local police. On the night of 28 February/1 March 1966, the MNF launched a series of simultaneous attacks on the 1st AR garrisons at Aizawl, Lunglei and Champhai and the 5th BSF posts at Chawngte, Demagiri, Hnahlan, Marpara, Tipaimukh, Tuipang, Tuipuibari, Vaphai and Vaseitlang.
The first attack by MNF began at about 10:30 pm IST on 28 February 1966, at the sub-treasury at Lunglei. A group 500–1000 strong attacked the camp of the security forces and the AR post. The attack was repulsed, leaving two AR personnel dead and few MNF volunteers were killed and three more AR personnel wounded. The AR camp was surrounded and starved by the MNF Volunteers for three days. The IAF Helicopter at last flew over the camp to supply the prior needs of Assam Rifles. On 5 March, the insurgents kidnapped R.V. Pillai, the Sub-divisional Officer. By 7 March, they had captured the AR post as well as the Border Roads Task Force camp at Lunglei.
The MNF insurgents entered Aizawl on the night of 28 February 1966. The same day, the Mizo district administration came across the copies of the two-page declaration of independence distributed among the MNF leaders. Since the insurgents had cut all the telephone lines, the local authorities could not seek immediate help from Shillong or Silchar. Later, the commanding officer of the Border Roads Organisation managed to send a wireless message to Silchar.
At 02:00 IST, on 1 March 1966, the insurgents attacked the telephone exchange at Aizawl. An hour later, around 150 insurgents led by Pu Lalnundawta, attacked the Aizawl District Treasury and looted money, arms and .303 ammunition. Within a few hours, the insurgents took control of all the important centres of the Mizo district, paralysing the civil administration. They also seized all the vehicles in the town. The law and order situation went beyond the control of the local Police and the small units of AR posted in the district. T S Gill, the Deputy Commissioner of the Mizo district, took shelter in the AR headquarters. The insurgents attacked the 1st AR battalion headquarters in Aizawl unsuccessfully. They also attacked the AR post at Chhimluang on the Aizawl-Silchar road, but were repulsed by the Riflemen. To stop any reinforcements from Silchar, they created several roadblocks and damaged the only bridge on the road.
Around this time, several MNF leaders had gathered in Aizawl on the pretext of a General Assembly. A few of the MNF leaders strongly opposed the violence, and asked Laldenga to withdraw his orders for an armed action. However, it was too late to discontinue the operation, as the rebels had already attacked multiple places including Lunglei, Champhai and Demagiri.
On 1 March, Laldenga made a declaration of independence, and exhorted all the Mizos to join the revolt against the “illegal Indian occupation” of the Mizo territory.
On 2 March, the insurgents ambushed a patrol of the 1st AR, and inflicted heavy casualties on them. After the 1st AR Battalion at Aizawl refused to surrender, the MNF suicide squad launched an attack on them at 9:00 on 4 March. They lost 13 men in a counter-attack by the Assam Rifles soldiers. Two helicopters with reserves, ammunition and water sent by the Government to help the Riflemen could not land due to constant firing by the insurgents. Some of the air drops meant for the Riflemen fell into the hands of MNF members.
The same day, the insurgents released all the prisoners from the Aizawl jail, who looted the shops of the non-Mizos (“Vai”s), and also burned several huts in the Aizawl bazaar. Due to the AR’s refusal to surrender, the victory parade proposed to be held on 2 March was postponed to 10 March.
On 5 March, the insurgents led by Pu Hruaia plundered the Public Works Department office in Aizawl, looting items for the “Mizoram Sawrkar” (“Mizoram Government”) Office. On 11 March, the insurgents burned the houses of the senior officials of the Mizo Union.
According to a statement made by the Chief Minister of Assam Bimala Prasad Chaliha, on 1 March, the insurgents who attacked the Aizawl treasury and Lunglei numbered around 10,000. The Indian Home Minister Gulzari Lal Nanda, in the Indian parliament on 3 March, stated the total number of rebels in Aizawl, Lunglei, Vairengte, Chawngte and Chhimluang as 800–1300.
On 2 March 1966, the Government of Assam invoked the Assam Disturbed Areas Act, 1955 and the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, proclaiming the entire Mizo district as “disturbed”. Bimala Prasad Chaliha condemned Laldenga for his “betrayal”, while the Gulzari Lal Nanda promised “stern action” with “all the force” at the Government’s command. A 24-hour curfew was imposed in Aizawl on 3 March, and reinforcements were sent for the 1st AR by helicopters.
On the afternoon of 4 March 1966, the IAF jet fighters strafed the MNF targets in Aizawl using machine guns, allegedly causing few civilian casualties. The next day, a more extensive airstrike was carried out for about five hours. According to some Mizos, the planes used incendiary bombs, resulting in fires that destroyed several houses in the Dawrpui and Chhinga Veng areas. According to some other accounts, the houses were destroyed in the fires started by the prisoners released from the Aizawl jail by the insurgents. Apart from Aizawl, the neighbouring villages of Tualbung and Hnahlan were also allegedly bombarded.Most of the civilian population fled Aizawl, and took refuge in the remote villages in the adjacent hills.
In the history of independent India, this remains the only instance of the Government of India resorting to air strikes in its own territory. Locals claim that Rajesh Pilot and Suresh Kalmadi were among the IAF pilots who dropped the bombs. Pu Zoramthanga, who went on to become the Chief Minister of Mizoram in 1998, once said that the main reason he joined the MNF and became a rebel was the “relentless bombing of Aizawl in 1966”. The people of Mizoram now observe Zoram Ni (“Zoram Day”) to commemorate the air raids.
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_1966_Mizo_National_Front_uprising
“There are some who say the Indian Air Force did not bomb Aizawl. They are not telling the truth. I saw it with my own eyes the bombing of Aizawl by the Indian government (in 1966)” – Lalchamliana, Home Minister.
Reference : https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1909667972475314&set=gm.2685067174853788&type=3&theater&ifg