Remna Ni in Mizoram Date in the current year: June 30, 2024

The Lushai Hills region inhabited by the Mizo people was annexed by the British Empire in 1870. Following Indian independence in 1947, it was incorporated into the state of Assam, which was met with discontent among the Mizo people, who feared that the Assam government would not take their interests and needs seriously.

In 1959, Mizoram was heavily affected by mautam, an ecological phenomenon that occurs twice a century and results in a widespread famine. It is caused by the flowering of the bamboo species Melocanna baccifera, which flowers almost fully synchronously every 48 years. After flowering, the bamboo leaves lots of seeds, which black rats feast on, resulting in a boom in the rat population. When there are no bamboo seeds anymore, the rats forage on stored grain, which leads to devastating famine.

Elderly Mizos who still remembered the mautam of 1911 tried to warn the government of Assam, but their warnings were dismissed as superstitions, and the famine still occurred. Since the state and federal governments were of no help, Mizo activist Pu Laldenga founded the Mizo National Famine Front to provide relief to the areas most affected by the famine and protest against the inaction of the official authorities.

In 1961, the Mizo National Famine Front was transformed into the Mizo National Front (MNF), a political party with Laldenga as its president. Five years later, the MNF declared independence from India and started an armed uprising. Although the revolt was quickly suppressed by the Indian government, the MNF continued with insurgent activity for another twenty years.

Although Mizo church leaders (most Mizos are Christians) tried to facilitate negotiations between the insurgents and the federal government, negotiation attempts continuously fell through. The only positive change was the creation of the union territory of Mizoram in 1972. As a union territory, Mizoram was separate from Assam; however, this also meant that it still didn’t have its own government and was governed by the federal government instead.

The MNF and the government of India finally reached an agreement in 1986, two decades after the initial insurgency. According to the terms and conditions of the peace accord, Mizoram would finally be granted full-fledged statehood. In return, the MNF promised to surrender all arms, ammunition and equipment, cut all ties with nationalist organizations in other parts of the country, and make sure that the constitution of Mizoram conformed with the Indian constitution.

The Mizoram Peace Accord was signed by the MNF, the government of Mizoram and the government of India on June 30, 1986; on February 20, 1987, Mizoram officially became a state. The anniversaries of both events are public holidays in Mizoram — Remna Ni and Statehood Day, respectively.