The All Mizoram Petroleum Dealers Association (AMPEDA) has threatened to shut down all filling stations across Mizoram indefinitely starting September 17, following allegations that the student body Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) forcibly collected funds from non-Mizo fuel station managers. Following an emergency meeting, AMPEDA condemned the alleged intimidation, claiming that petrol pump managers were detained at the MZP office and forced to transfer Rs 2 lakh on September 7, while managers at other outlets were coerced into transferring Rs 1.20 lakh each. The association has demanded a full refund of all collected money by September 16, alongside assurances against future harassment, warning that failure to comply will result in a total state-wide fuel shutdown. In response, the MZP denied all charges of coercion or physical intimidation, maintaining that the funds raised from the Keifang-based LT Brothers Filling Station were voluntary contributions toward its upcoming general assembly in Darlawn. Reframing the dispute, the student body alleged that several fuel stations across Mizoram are nominally owned by local Mizos but illegally operated by non-tribal individuals from outside the state, using local names and licenses. Calling for strict government action to audit such operations and cancel violating licenses, the MZP urged Mizo operators who manage their own stations to remain open during the proposed strike and called on the public to boycott outlets run by non-locals.
