Mizoram, a Christian-majority State in Northeastern India, is witnessing an indigenous, grassroots-level campaign against the potential takeover of a historic Hindu temple by the State government.
The Assam Rifles Hari Mandir, which is located at the Canteen Square in Aizwal, has been the centre for religious practice and spiritual guidance for Gorkha Hindus and Bru Reangs.
The Hindu community, which constitutes a meagre 2.75% of the population, is worried that the administration of the historic temple might go into the hands of the Mizoram government.
The Hari Mandir (also known as Mahadev Tran) was previously located in the Assam Rifles complex in Bethlehem. It has been in existence for more than 70 years.
Assam Rifles, a premier paramilitary force (now called Central Armed Police Forces), has been responsible for the establishment, maintenance and upkeep of this Hindu temple in Aizawl.
The Hari Mandir hosts festivities such as Durga Puja, Diwali, and Janmashtami and serves as the centre for cultural events like weddings and kirtans.
On 30th September this year, the President of the Mizoram Gorkha Mandir Sanchalan Samiti wrote to the Commandant of the 2nd Assam Rifles in Aizawal, expressing concerns about the future of the Hari Mandir.
In his letter, Mankumar Jaishi informed, “The Assam Rifles Mandir area holds a profound emotional significance for the descendants of the Assam Rifles personnel who have dutifully served our nation. These sacred grounds serve as a symbol of their sacrifice, dedication and unwavering commitment to safeguarding our nation’s integrity…”
He added, “It is our humble plea that these Mandir areas be preserved and allocated for the continued use of the descendants of the Assam Rifies personnel as well as other local Hindu community.”
MoU between the Centre and the State
Talks have been underway since 2023 to shift the Assam Rifles battalion from the heart of Aizwal to a designated complex located 15 km east of the city in Zokhawsang.
The Mizoram government had reached out to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to ensure that the paramilitary force was shifted to a new location.
A PTI report from July this year stated that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Centre and the Mizoram government to relocate the Assam Rifles complex was set to be approved.
While the final status of the MoU remains unclear, it is evident that the Government of Mizoram would take over the Assam Rifles complex at the Canteen Square in Aizwal following the approval of the MHA.
Given that the historic Hari Mandir is located within the premises of the Assam Rifles complex, local Hindus fear that the responsibility to run, administer and maintain the temple too would go into the hands of the Mizoram government.
Demand to allot temple administration to local Hindu Gorkhas
Mizoram Gorkha Mandir Sanchalan Samiti President Mankumar Jaishi has therefore urged the 2nd Assam Rifles Commandant to take up the matter with the State government and ensure that the administration of the temple remained with the local Gorkha community in Aizwal.
In his letter dated 30th September 2024, he said, “We pray for your kind consideration to allot the Hari Mandir to the local Gorkha community of Aizawl so that we are not deprived of a place for our religious and spiritual needs.”
“We will manage the temple for the use of all the local Hindu community just as we believe the Assam Rifles Church area has been earmarked for allotment to the local Church,” Mankumar Jaishi emphasised.
OpIndia spoke to the President of the Mizoram Gorkha Mandir Sanchalan Samiti President over the phone and he confirmed the fears and anxieties of the local Hindu population.
He told us that the Mizoram government is eyeing expanding the Canteen Square area and widening the roads.
The future of Assam Rifles Hari Mandir, a cultural centre for local Hindus, is now in jeopardy.
Hindus take the fight to social media
Concerns about the fate of the historic Hindu temple are also being raised on social media.
“Temples are vital cultural and spiritual centers. Removing the Assam Rifles temple would diminish our community’s identity #ProtectOurTemple #Aizawl #Mizoram,” wrote one X user.
Temples are vital cultural and spiritual centers. Removing the Assam Rifles temple would diminish our community’s identity. #ProtectOurTemple #Aizawl #Mizoram pic.twitter.com/76graSAUd2
— Ishika (@Sanskari_Girll) October 2, 2024
Another X user stated, “We stand united in preserving the Assam Rifles temple for future generations. Let’s raise our voices to protect it. #ProtectOurTemple #Aizawl #Mizoram”
We stand united in preserving the Assam Rifles temple for future generations. Let’s raise our voices to protect it. #ProtectOurTemple #Aizawl #Mizoram pic.twitter.com/wwOo9B82uY
— Saurav Jhajee (@sauravpatil_x) October 2, 2024
“The Assam Rifles temple has stood for decades as a place of peace and prayer. Why destroy what means so much to so many? #ProtectOurTemple #Mizoram”, one user emphasised.
The Assam Rifles temple has stood for decades as a place of peace and prayer. Why destroy what means so much to so many? #ProtectOurTemple #Mizoram
— 𝙿𝚛𝚒𝚢𝚊 (@PriyaY92) October 2, 2024
“Unite for the preservation of Assam Rifles temple and school, treasures of Aizawl.#ProtectOurTemple #Aizawl #Mizoram,” one Abhiranjan Jha tweeted.
Unite for the preservation of Assam Rifles temple and school, treasures of Aizawl.#ProtectOurTemple #Aizawl #Mizoram pic.twitter.com/xkbXMRb2uR
— Abhiranjan jha (@Abhiranjanjha8) October 2, 2024
A Hindu man named Balram Sharma posted, “The Assam Rifles have long been part of Mizoram’s history; we should honor their legacy by protecting these sites. #ProtectOurTemple #Aizawl #Mizoram”
The Assam Rifles have long been part of Mizoram’s history; we should honor their legacy by protecting these sites. #ProtectOurTemple #Aizawl #Mizoram pic.twitter.com/b0xpmkvou5
— Balram Sharma (@Brsharma_In) October 2, 2024
“We must advocate for the preservation of our history and heritage,” tweeted one Anamika Sharma.
Temples are vital cultural and spiritual centers. Removing the Assam Rifles temple
— Anamika Sharma (@anu__2) October 2, 2024
We must advocate for the preservation of our history and heritage. #ProtectOurTemple #Aizawl #Mizoram pic.twitter.com/EzF6IyDsIt
Hindu persecution in Mizoram
According to 2001 census data, there are only about 31,562 Hindus in Mizoram compared to 7.72 lakh Christians.
The Hindu community in the State is comprised primarily of Gorkhas and Bru Rehangs. For the unversed, the Bru Rehangs suffered a genocide at the hands of Mizos in 1997.
This forced them to flee the State and seek refuge in the nearby State of Tripura. It was not until 2018 that an agreement was reached between the governments of Tripura and Mizoram for the resettlement and rehabilitation of the Hindu minority ethnic group.
There have also been instances of attacks on the temple. For instance, OpIndia found a large plaque outside the Assam Rifles Hari Mandir in Aizawl which states that the Hindu place of worship was destroyed by miscreants.
The current temple, as it stands today, was in fact reconstructed by Brigadier Shri Ram Singh and inaugurated by the Commandant of 1st Battalion of Assam Rifles in August 1993.
Our religious sentiments are attached to the Assam Rifles temple, let us come together and save this temple. #ProtectOurTemple pic.twitter.com/wihidYkzbh
— Prajwala Sharma (@Miss_charming01) October 2, 2024
In May 2013, an explosion rocked a temple in Aizawl which was located within the complex of the 26th Battalion Assam Rifles.
“The explosion shattered 26 window panes and some window frames, the police said. Police suspected that the explosive used was gelatin and the bundle of gelatin sticks must have been thrown from the main road as the compound housing the temple was encircled by the road,” the report added.
On the day of the targeted attack, the Mizo National Front (MNF) had organised a rally dubbed ‘Milem Biak Duhloh Kawngzawh‘ (Anti-idol
Worshipping Rally). OpIndia could not independently verify whether the targeted temple was the Assam Rifles Hari Mandir in Aizawl.
Nonetheless, a sense of general hostility always persisted against Hindu practices in the Northeastern State. For instance, if a prominent political leader is seen associated with Hindus, then, he becomes the subject of a smear campaign.
In 2011, the Mizo National Front (MNF) lashed out at then-Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla for participating in the Hindu festivals of Durga Puja and Dusshera in Kolkata.
MNF vice president R Tlanghmingthanga had infamously said, “We strongly condemn Lal Thanhawla for attending the celebrations and hope that he will seek forgiveness from God.”
He further alleged that the CM ‘forsook Christianity’ and ‘betrayed his God’ by partaking in Hindu rituals.
Kummanam Rajasekharan, a prominent Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) activist, faced stiff opposition from a political party named People’s Representation for Identity and Status of Mizoram (PRISM) after he was appointed the Governor of Mizoram in May 2018.
They objected to Rajasekharan’s strong stance against deceitful conversions by Christian missionaries in the State of Kerala.
Free the Temples campaign
Hindu temples in India are not free from the clutches of the State governments. In several States like Tamil Nadu, the government runs the administration of Hindu places of worship and determines their functioning.
The power to run a Hindu temple must lie with the worshippers and their representatives without any governmental interference. Failure to do so results in mismanagement and hurting the broader interests of the community.
As the Centre and the Mizoram government are all set to sign the MoU to relocate the Assam Rifles battalion from Aizawal, Hindus are putting up a fight to protect their Hari Mandir from being run by the government.
