Profile of the District
Lawngtlai District is one of the eight administrative Districts
in Mizoram. The District was created on 11
th November
1998. Prior to 1998, Lawngtlai District was a part of undivided
Chhimtuipui District comprising of Saiha and Lawngtlai. The History
of Lawngtlai District as a part of Mizoram dated back to
the days of Chieftainship (Lal). Since time immemorial, before the
British entered, their own chiefs from generation to another
without any disturbance from any quarter ruled this virgin land.
This state of affairs kept on continuing till the
British
appeared on the scene in the late 18
th century. On 21st
February, 1888, Lai Chief Dokulha Chinzah, Chief of the then Fungkah
Village raided the survey team and killed Lt. Steward,
two other Englishmen and one army personnel. Punitive action was
taken by the British and in the process, Lawngtlai District came
under the direct control of the British after the expedition of 1889
by the British.
After India attained independence in 1947, the Lushai Hills
Autonomous District Council was created under the provision if
the Sixth Schedule in 1952 for the purpose to preserve and protect
the identities of the Lushais. The District continued to
remain as one of the districts of Assam, which later was changed in
Mizo District in 1954. Along with the creation of Lushai
Hills autonomous district Council in 1952, leaders of the Lai (it
was then called Pawi), Mara (it was then called Lakher) and
Chakma demanded a separate Autonomous District Councils as they felt
they were distinct stock of tribes. Accordingly, both the
Governments of India and Assam having taken all aspects of the
political, social and economic lives of the Lai, Mara and Chakma
into consideration ultimately created in April 1953, a separate
Autonomous Regional Councils under the Sixth Schedule to the
Constitution of India. The two Councils continued their existence
side by side till the creation of the Union Territory
of Mizoram in 1972, under the North Eastern Areas reorganization Act
of 1971. Eventually the Mizo Autonomous District Council was
abolished and the erstwhile Pawi-Lakher Regional Council was trifurcated into three Autonomous District Councils viz. Pawi,
Lakher and Chakma Autonomous District Councils under the same Act.