Aizawl, Apr 29: A total of 43 members of the Lalhmingthanga Sanate-led faction of the HPC(D) will lay down arms in Mizoram on Thursday, officials said.
Chief Minister Lalduhoma and Home Minister K Sapdanga will attend the event at the Police Central Training Institute in Sesawng, around 40 km from Aizawl, they said on Wednesday.
The ‘homecoming ceremony’ follows the peace accord signed between the Mizoram government and the Hmar People’s Convention (Democratic) on April 14, effectively marking the end of insurgency in the state.
Though largely dormant in recent years, the Sanate-led HPC(D) faction was considered the last surviving ethnic insurgent outfit in Mizoram and was allegedly involved in sporadic criminal activities, including extortion in Hmar-dominated villages.
The agreement, signed at Sakawrdai in Aizawl district — headquarters of the Sinlung Hills Council (SHC) — focuses on the comprehensive development of the Hmar-majority SHC region. Key provisions include higher budgetary allocations for the council, a special development package, infrastructure upgrades and improved connectivity.
The HPC(D), in its charter of demands, sought transfer of SHC administration from the General Administration Department to the District Council and Minority Affairs Department, establishment of project and agriculture offices in Sakawrdai, increased annual budgetary support from 2027-28, and special development works.
It also demanded official recognition of the Sikpui Ruoi festival and Hmar Martyrs’ Day on May 16 as holidays in the SHC jurisdiction, which covers 31 villages in northern and northeastern Mizoram, bordering Assam and Manipur.
Other demands included construction of internal roads, an Eklavya Model Residential School, and a Netaji Subash Chandra Bose Awasiya Vidyalaya hostel.
“The government of Mizoram shall make utmost efforts to honour and implement the charter of demands submitted by the HPC(D),” the agreement stated.
The Sanate faction was the last of three Hmar insurgent groups in Mizoram since 1986, initially demanding an Autonomous District Council under the Sixth Schedule.
The first group, HPC led by Hmingchungnunga, signed a peace accord with the then Congress government in 1994, leading to the creation of the Sinlung Hills Development Council (SHDC).
The second faction, HPC(D) led by late H Zosangbera, signed a separate accord in 2018 after talks began in 2016. The pact created the Sinlung Hills Council (SHC) with enhanced autonomy, replacing the SHDC.
The 14-member SHC, headed by a Chief Executive Member, held its first election in November 2019, in which the Mizo National Front (MNF)-HPC alliance won 10 seats.
Sanate had formed his faction after expressing dissatisfaction with the 1994 accord.
Originally from Khawlian village in present-day Saitual district, Sanate operated with a small group of cadres from bases in Assam’s Cachar district.
A leader of the group said the present Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) government, led by Lalduhoma, had succeeded in bringing the outfit back to mainstream society after a series of backchannel talks. (PTI)
