Barely two months have passed since we welcomed 2023, but it has already been a catastrophic year for the tribals in Manipur. While the rest of the country’s attention has been diverted to the Russia-Ukraine war, the Adani case, and so on, the tribals of Manipur have been experiencing a systematic crippling of their safeguards by the state, causing much uncertainty for the months ahead.
On February 20, the village of K. Songjang in Churachandpur was notified of eviction, blamed for being built along the Churachandpur-Khoupum Protected Forest stretch. The village was discovered illegal not by the eye of the law but by the so-called Google Maps, which showed very few two or three-story houses in the region built before 2021. According to the government, the majority of houses, numbering about 13/14 structures, were mapped out to have been built after 2021. They were thus declared illegal and bulldozed to destruction with a prior legal procedure being served to the village Chief. Another Show-Cause notice has been issued for Kungpinaosen, Kangvai sub-division, Churachandpur district, Manipur. The notice has directed the villagers to vacate it for the same reason as that of K. Songpijang.
On February 15, 2023, the Deputy Commissioner of Churachandpur District, Manipur, ordered a verification drive to identify ‘illegal immigrants’ in several villages under the Churachandpur and Mualnuam sub-divisions in south Manipur. The verification drives are meant to be held from February 27 to March 17, 2023. The DC’s office further stated that respective village chiefs/village authorities were informed to ensure the attendance of all residents to procure their biometrics. This order comes in light of Manipur’s recent heightened and passionate ‘immigrant hunts’ since the military coup in Myanmar in February 2021.
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I find this article very funny because it is one-sided and doesn’t even use the word “all” to acknowledge that not all tribal communities in Manipur discriminate against the Manipur government. According to the current context, the illegal encroachers are Kukis, not all tribes in Manipur. It is the Manipur government’s right to protect reserve forest areas in the state, and we, the people of Manipur, are also intolerant of illegal activities. The eviction drive is not only carried out in the hill areas of Manipur; it started all the way from Imphal Valley. Even though people in the valley have ownership documents, they cannot oppose the government when it tries to expand the road or any construction. Stop playing victim card and the govt doesn’t have sympathy to those criminals or perform in such illegal activities!!
Although the Indian Constitution has given special provisions to the tribal communities of Manipur, it is not an absolute right, and the tribes cannot decide and allow any forest to be theirs
Here is the explanation of Article 371C :
371C. Special provision with respect to the State of Manipur.—(1) Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution,
the President may, by order made with respect to the State of Manipur, provide for the constitution and functions of a committee of the Legislative Assembly of the State consisting of members of that Assembly elected from the Hill Areas of that State, for the modifications to be made in the rules of business of the Government and in the rules of procedure of the
Legislative Assembly of the State and for any special responsibility of the Governor in order to secure the proper functioning of such committee.
(2) The Governor shall annually, or whenever so required by the President, make a report to the President regarding the administration of the Hill Areas in the State of Manipur and the executive power of the Union shall extend to the giving of directions to the State as to the administration of the said areas.
Explanation.—In this article, the expression “Hill Areas” means such areas as the President may, by order, declare to be Hill areas.
I would like to call out the writer of this Article!!
LOL…is this paid article? Get your facts right before posting.
Writer is not a son/daughter of manipur… may be from outside manipur or an illegal immigrant from myanmar or other places… wht a cheap article… wants to destroy Manipur in the name of ethnic group… shame on you bloody immigrant.