On March 5th, 1966, Indian Air Force planes and men were used to bomb Aizawl, the intellectual and administrative of the Mizos.
In circa 2023 - this episode was revisited by the BJP leaders as they were cornered by the Congress-led opposition over Manipur clashes wherein a large number of Kuki and Zo people had fallen victims along with Meiteis. The Lushais and other native tribes of Mizoram share ethnic affinity with the Kukis and Zo people.
The BJP leaders had posed a query, "In 1966 March; who was the Prime Minister of India then and which party was in power? Do young Indians have a right to know these?"
Today we are flaging off another issue. On Oct 29/1966 one young Mizo youngster was commissioned into Indian Air Force. It was life time dream of Wing Commander J. Lalhmingliana. "I always wanted to join Indian Air Force. There was an aura and excitement about it ... I was actually thrilled by the knowledge that supersonic fighter jets could fly faster than the speed of sound.
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| Wing Commander and blogger |
It was a life time dream. It cannnot be explained in words".
Fresh Air Force recruit Lalhmingliana slogged hard. He was determined to be part of the elite Fighter Jets squadron. Pilot Transport section did not excite him. However, the luck had different plans for the "young Mizo --- son of a dotting father". As the news of his commissioning into Air Force and selection for the elite Fighter Jets reached his home - his dad J Thangkhama was emotionally struck.
A Mizo elderly man --- and an ordinary shopkeeper in Aizawl could not reconcile to the fact that his second son Lalhmingliana would join the Air Force squadron that trains people to bomb villages and towns.
The Aizawl bombing was a mega and a highly controversial decision of the policy makers in Delhi. It had actually redefined the parameters of Mizo and Naga insurgency in the north east. The simpleton tribals became more aggressive and more determined to fight for political liberation.
Young pilot Lalhmingliana's father had no alternatives. He dashed off an emotional letter to his son addressing him as " Ka fapa dhutak (My dear son)".
It was India of 1960s and that too in North East. The young pilot received that letter after about 45 days in Jodhpur Air Force College. His father was very decisive about what he wrote. Roughly -- it could be translated as -
"Son, take my words seriously. I have been told you are joining the fighter squadron. If what the Jet fighter pilots did to Aizawl is a job ... it's not a job worth doing. And you are not doing it....
"You know I am growing old. So my words here to you is no request. It's an order ... as a uniformed man, I suppose you understand the significance of an order. So either you move out of that Fighter squad or you give up the job and come back home".
No dutiful and emotional son could say 'No' to such a missive from an aging dad from a far off development-starved town also hit with air force bombs.
So he decided to seek 'transfer' from the supersonic jet fighter unit and moved to the Transport Flight section.
At 81, drawing pension and living a peaceful life in his Aizawl home -- Lalhmingliana says -- "My life time dream was shattered. I stood 11th in the merit list.
I was very much in the fighter jet team. Later when I requested my superiors for easing me out from the fighter jet section, my superiors including Squadron leader Banerjee and my batch mates were surprised. But that's how the life is....
Looking back, I just stare the rear mirror of life and wonder .... how things move in one's life is determined by many factors ... something one cannot calculate or predict". Later on pilot Lalhmingliana of course professionally did well in Air Force Flighter Transport unit and reached the top A category for VVIP flyinng.
Talking about job satisfaction, he remarked: "Having missed the dream to fly faster than sound ..... I can tell you as job satisfaction; I did fly Prime Ministers such as V P Singh and Rajiv Gandhi.
I also flew VIPs such as Rajesh Pilot. He was commissioned in Varanasi the same year - 1966 - I was".
According to Mizo historian, Prof J V Hluna, in the aftermath of Aizawl air raids two Assam MLAs Stanley D D Nicols Roy and Hoover H Hynniewta visited Mizoram and later raised the issue in Assam assembly. Mizoram (Lushai Hills) was then part of Assam.
In Aizawl town, you will find young and old residents often stating that while many insurgency groups have emerged in India but Mizos were the only Indians subjected to the bombing by their own government from the powerful people in Delhi.
In fact, when Aizawl was bombed, the Mizo National Army (insurgent group led by Laldenga) was not banned.
March 5th, 1966 Aizawl bombing in independent India's history has been the only occasion when the powerful Indian Air Force was used to attack "own citizens".
The bombing did clear Aizawl and other towns and hamlets of the Mizo National Army volunteers. Ironically, former Mizoram CM Zoramthanga, a former MNA militant was a trusted lieutenant of legendary Mizo rebel leader Laldenga. Indira Gandhi first became Prime Minister on January 24, 1966 and hence she was hardly in power for 40 days.
ends
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