 As the insurgents found security and refuge in the large number of tiny hamlets from which they would launch attacks on the patrols of the security forces and later merge into the civilian population, the military need was felt to deny the militants access to the common people.To solve the problem, the Government of India resorted to a "grouping" policy in the Mizo district, starting in January 1967.Under the grouping policy, nearly 80% of the rural population was shifted from their villages and resettled along the highways.