The All-India Chakma Students’ Union (AICSU) has cited historical records and government documents concerning the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) and the administrative history of Demagiri, now known as Tlabung in Mizoram’s Lunglei district.
The organisation said the CHT was historically administered under three recognised chiefs or Rajas — the Chakma, Mong and Bohmong Rajas — during the British period. It also referred to an early map that, according to the AICSU, recorded the name “Chacomas” on the eastern bank of the Karnaphuli River.
Citing academic research and historical accounts, the AICSU said British intervention altered the administrative status of the Chakma kingdom. In 1860, it said, the British divided the kingdom into Chittagong and the Chittagong Hill Tracts, with the former becoming a regulated district and the latter a non-regulated district.
On Demagiri, the organisation said the name predated Tlabung and appeared in British records with variations such as “Demagree” and “Demagri”. It claimed the name was derived from “Devagiri” and was officially changed to Tlabung following a private member resolution in the Mizoram Legislative Assembly on September 27, 1973.
The AICSU also cited historical accounts stating that Demagiri was geographically within the Chittagong Hill Tracts but was placed under the South Lushai Hills for administrative purposes in 1892. It said Demagiri and neighbouring areas were later brought under the administration of Assam through a Government of India proclamation in 1898.
The organisation maintained that the historical position of both the CHT and Demagiri was supported by published research, British administrative records and government notifications. It urged people to consider the available documentary evidence while discussing the historical status of the two regions.
