What happened in Mizoram on March 5, 1966? PM Modi reminds Congress of its history

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his reply on the no-confidence motion moved against his government, used several instances from the history of the Northeast region to criticise the Congress. PM Modi referenced incidents from Mizoram and Manipur to put the Congress on the spot. "On March 5, 1966, Congress used Air Force to attack helpless citizens of Mizoram. Congress should answer, were the people of Mizoram not the citizens of my country? Was it not the Indian Air Force? Still today, Mizoram mourns the dreadful day. They never tried to console the people. The Congress hid the incident from the people of the country. Indira Gandhi was then the PM of the country," said the Prime Minister in his speech in Lok Sabha on Thursday. 

What happened in Mizoram on March 5, 1966?

The Indian Air Force (IAF) on March 5, 1966, bombed the city of Aizawl in the Mizo Hills (present-day Mizoram) in response to an insurgency by the Mizo National Front (MNF). The bombing was ordered by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. According to reports, the Mizo National Famine Front, which was formed to tackle the food crisis, transformed into the Mizo National Front. It later added an armed wing, the Mizo National Army, which included former soldiers from a disbanded Assam Rifles battalion.

The Mizo National Army declared an offensive against Indian forces and overran the Aizawl treasury and armoury on March 2, 1966. Four IAF fighter jets were first used for a machine gun attack on Aizawl, and later to bomb it. The bombing of Aizawl killed an estimated 70 to 100 people, mostly civilians. It also destroyed homes, businesses, and government buildings. The bombing was a major turning point in the Mizo insurgency, and it led to a prolonged period of violence and instability in the region.