By Afshain Afzal

Military operations were in progress in various areas of Mizoram but no one know why troops have been moved as earlier India military was never involved. The story starts from the Military-Civilian worse relation in Mizoram when Mizoram State authorities banned entry of Armed Forces including for their operational movement. In May 2020, State allowed entry of additional 1,124 Assam Rifles personnel from May to August 2020 but on COVID – 19 screening 10% of them have tested positive for COVID-19. Ever since it is generally the practice of personnel of Indian Armed Forces and Para Military Forces refuse to comply with the entry screening protocol to contain spread of Coronavirus in the State. With regarding to Assam Rifles alone, in August 2020, its personnel formed 250 of the total 539 Covid-19 cases. Another data by Health Department reflected, at least 339 security personnel including 101 were from the Assam Rifles, 230 from BSF and four each from the CRPF and the Army have tested positive for COVID-19, accounting for 38.83% of the total 873 cases. This year the COVID – 19 cases in Indian Armed Forces scaled to an alarming level, which created a lot of tension between the Indian Armed Forces and Mizoram State government. 

Two days back, on 25 April, huge fire erupted in forest in Mizoram’s Lunglei district and its adjoining areas and likely to eliminate wildlife habitat and timber as well as polluting the air with emissions. Eye witnesses who saw forest under fire claimed that they have not come across such a fire which quickly engulfed various patches at the same time. Some of the witnesses claimed that Indian Army and the Para Military Forces were conducting operations against pro-independence Naxals in the same area. This is the same area where Indian Army and Intelligence agencies are trying to settle down Brus who were converted to Christianity by western missionaries. At least two witnesses said they saw Indian Air Force aircrafts hovering of the affected area. Chief Minister Zoramthanga sought help state's fire fighters and disaster management personnel who were doing their job in best possible manner. The Indian Military Intelligence agency asked Chief Minister Zoramthanga to write to Chief Secretary Lalnunmawia Chuaungo for involving Indian Air Force (IAF) in the firefighting efforts. In this regard Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh confirmed that Indian Air Force helicopters were involved in the operation. The joint military operation in which Indian Army, Para Military Forces as well as Indian Air Force is participating aims at controlling further spread of viruses by burning the heaps of dead pigs in Mizoram forests so as to control the ASF from spreading to other provinces in India is achieved. This according to the Air Force officer could only be done through controlling the deaths of the pig population in Mizoram. According they set on fire pockets of forests where pigs had died but the fire went out of control. 

In a latest development, Bhopal-based National Institute of High Security Animal Disease Laboratory has made a very disturbing revelation that African Swine Fever (ASF) has completely engulfed Mizoram. Joint Director of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary also confirmed that hundreds of pigs are dying each day while first pig-deaths were reported from Lungsen village on 21 March 2021. According to official record the population of pigs in Mizoram is 242,500 where five districts of Mizoram have been declared as epicentres of the African swine fever (ASF) and so far 1,119 pigs have been killed in a month. The villages, however, have claimed death of over 3000 pigs occurred in the month of April alone. Joint Director Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department Lalhmingthanga confirmed last week that Aizawl, Lunglei, Serchhip, Mamit and Siaha are highly dangerous while Lungsen village and Lunglei Electric Veng in Lunglei district, Armed Veng and Edenthar areas in Aizawl district, Keitum village in Serchhip district and Vaipi-I in Siaha district were marked as ASF epicentres. If we recall, Indian government failed to make public deaths of 22,000 pigs across Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya last year. 

Meanwhile, Mizoram government has imposed seven-day curfew in Aizawl and 10 other district headquarters in Mizoram from 20 to 26 April 2021. The notification issued by the Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Department of the Mizoram government was signed by Mizoram Chief Secretary Lalnunmawia Chuaungo but the order did not mention the word “lockdown”.The Police confirmed that night curfew from 8:30 pm to 4 am would be enforced very strictly in Aizawl and 10 other district headquarters across Mizoram. The Police official spelled out that places of worship, educational institutions, parks, picnic spots, theatres, gymnasiums, community halls, restaurants and shopping complexes will remain closed across the state during the period while Petrol pumps, cold storages, bakeries and carpentry, steel fabrication, weaving and motor workshops are allowed to remain open. According to Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) as on 26 April 2021out of total 4,671 cases, there were 726 active cases, 4,671 recovered and 13 deaths.

Mizoram is known for harbouring terrorists that smuggle arms, ammunition and narcotics to create unrest in neighbouring Bangladesh and Myanmar. The Indian Army’s presentation speaks of increase activities of Myanmar Ethnic Armed Groups (EAG) along Myanmar and Bangladesh border. The report said, crackdown of Myanmar Army on Arakan Salvation Army (ASA) and Arakan-Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) has led to mass exodus of certain communities from Myanmar to neighbouring countries. Indian Army has conducted a number of proactive measures including planned coercive hunts to flush the outlaws and insurgents across Myanmar Border. It is being claimed that terrorism has spread to this region, especially in Bangladesh and Myanmar through Indian clandestine operations through forests of Mizoram where Indian agencies have established training camps for ASA and ARSA, mostly of Christian faith. Terrorist training camps to destabilize Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar are personally run by the Indian Military officers posted at the Para Military Forces including Assam Rifles, Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF ) and health personnel.

Evidences reflect the COVID spread in Mizoram due Indian Military protected and funded pig farms to settle refugee tribes all along Bangladesh and provoke political unrest in Myanmar, Bangladesh and Nepal. At least four witnesses at two different villages claims that Indian Army and Assam Rifles personnel were burning corpse of thousands of dead pigs to control spread of African Swine Fever and COVID. Accordingly they gathered dried fallen trunks of trees from the forest and dumped dead pigs in at least at 13 different place to set on fire. However, the fire spread quickly and engulf whole forest in different areas with gaps. A women Lunglei confirmed that Indian Air Force aircrafts were surveying the area one day prior to the forest caught fire and after the fire helicopters equipped with Bambi buckets were seen poring water at Lunglei district and adjoining areas.A major of Assam Rifles, who spoke on the condition of anonymity said, the intention of Indian forces were to burn the dead pigs in order to prevent COVID from affecting entire Mizoram. It is too early to comment why the Indian security forces burnt the forest but apparent it aims to effectively driving mass migration of ASA and ARSA cadres to Myanmar and Bangladesh to create unrest and law and order situation there. Indeed it is part of Indian military environmental warfare strategy to disrupt the environment to use it as tool of war.