India drops bombs to its civilian citizen

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(The 43rd Anniversary of Aizawl bombing by Indian Air Force)

C. Lalremruata

Director

Zo Indigenous Forum

I think this was the only incidence in the history of the world that a country drop bombs to its civilian citizen, that terrible and horrific incidence was happened on 5th March 1966 at Aizawl, Mizoram State Capital, the then Lushai Hills District Council Headquarters in India.

In Mizoram in the early sixties, a famine broke out. A relief team cried out for help from the Government of India. But there was little help. The relief team organized themselves into the Mizo National Famine Front (MNF) and later as the political party Mizo National Front (MNF) and called for an armed struggle, “to liberate Mizoram from Indian colonialism and form a Greater Mizoram for self determination” for the Zo people divided in India, Myanmar and Bangladesh.

In 28th February 1966 the uprising was started and, armed militant groups captured the town of Aizawl and took possession of all government offices. It took the Indian army one week to recapture the town. The army responded viciously with air raids. This is the only place in India where the Indian Security Forces with their jet fighter (F-104 Phantom Z) actually aerially bombed its own civilian population. The armed forces compelled people to leave their homes and dumped them on the roadside to set up new villages, so that the armed forces would be able to better control them. One of the witnesses told me that on that day, Aizawl, the then District Council Headquarters was like a ruined city.

The Government of India knows the exact number of that insurgent and all their belongings, as per their record the MNF volunteers were 2000, and those who got training in E Pakistan (now Bangladesh) were only 200. And on 1st March the MNF captured Lunglei and Champhai and got all arms, with all those thing the arms and equipment according to Govt of India report was that 303 Rifles =600 Nos, Light Machine Gun (LMG)= 20 Nos, Sten Guns = 75Nos, Carbines = 25Nos, Revolver/Pistols = 30Nos and local made arms and ammunitions 1500 Nos.

They know the number of MNF volunteers and their arms, the number of person who got training and to rescue the Assam Rifles in Aizawl, there were 61 Mountain Brigade under Lt.Gen.Saghat Singh was on the road and reach Aizawl on 7th March, but the Indian government and Indian Air Force not mercilessly drop the bombs in the civilian area of Aizawl. That was terrible and horrific; it is a shame acts as the largest democratic country.

When India was struggle for Independence, one incidence was happen in April 3-6, 1919 called “The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre” in Jalianwala Bagh, Punjab, at that time, the British Army men shot the entire civilian in that place, and they have observed the anniversary as National Week.