Amid pressure, Gohain cancels trip to Mizoram

Aizawl: Union minister of state for railways Rajen Gohain on Thursday cancelled his proposed visit to a Mizoram village, bowing to strong pressure from major student organizations in the state.
Gohain was supposed to visit Ailawng, a tiny village where the Mizo warrior Khuangchera hailed from, to attend an event in memory of the warrior on Thursday afternoon.
Gohain reportedly cancelled his programme after meeting leaders of Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) and the Mizo Students' Union (MSU) at Lengpui airport near Aizawl. In turn, the student leaders also agreed to the Union minister's request for a private visit to the memorial stone of Khuangchera at Ailawng village on Friday morning. They would accompany Gohain when the latter would visit the memorial stone, an MZP leader said.
Earlier, students in thousands held a rally in front of Vanapa Hall in the centre of Aizawl city where effigies of Prof John V Hluna, president of Mizoram's BJP unit, and Prof Laltluangliana Khiangte, head of the Mizo department in the Mizoram University, were burnt.
The students were angry with Hluna as the programme was sponsored by the state unit of BJP while Khiangte invited their ire for allegedly branding Khuangchera as the nation's freedom fighter and gave him the title of 'shoorveer' in the translated Hindi version of 'Pasaltha Khuangchera' (Warrior Khuangchera) written by him. Leaders of MZP and MSU on Tuesday said the Centre should not regard Mizo warrior Khuangchera as an Indian freedom fighter.
In the resolutions adopted at the joint meeting of the two organizations, the students said Khuangchera died in 1890 fighting the British colonial army, preventing them from conquering Mizoram (then known as Lushai country).
Khuangchera and his friend Ngurbawnga were gunned down while attacking a British army camp at Changsil village near Aizawl after killing a number of British soldiers in 1890. "At the time, Khuangchera or any Mizo did not know anything about India, not to talk of fighting for her freedom or being citizens of India," the resolution stated and added that Khuangchera died fighting the colonial Britishers and defending the Zo people.
Meanwhile, scholars also came forward against the Centre's move to name Khuangchera as the country's martyr. Lalthlamuana Ralte, associate professor at the Pachhunga University College, said Khuangchera was not an Indian when he died fighting the British colonial army.