Mizoram Home Minister Lalchamliana made a significant announcement, stating that at least 62 villages located within the inner line reserved forest along Assam's border are within Mizoram's territory. For years, Mizoram has maintained that the 509 square-mile (1,318 square kilometers) area of inner line reserved forest, protected by the 1875 Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR), marks its true boundary.