Khasi Students' Union seeks State Government's intervention
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, May 07 2022:
The Khasi Students' Union (KSU) has sought the Manipur Government's intervention on the alleged encroachment of Khasi villages in Tamenglong district.
Speaking to reporters today at AMSU Headquarters at DM College campus, KSU General Secretary Donald V Thabah lamented that the mere Khasi population at Khedagar Khasi Village, Kamrangha Khasi Village and Abampunji Khasi Village in Tamenglong district have received serious threat by the massive influx of outsiders.
He continued that the illegal immigrants coming from Jiribam side have encroached the lands of the Khasi Villages and settled there by carrying out cultivation works and constructing houses.
Claiming that the Khasis in Manipur initially settled at Khedagar Khasi Village in the late 30s and subsequently expanded with the establishment of Kamrangha Khasi Village and Abampunji Khasi Village, the KSU general secretary conveyed that there are only about 1000 Khasi population in the said villages at present.
While stating that the problems faced by the Khasi population in the villages are recurring, he decried that the efforts of the local Khasis in the State to let the authorities concerned stop the land encroachment in Khasi villages remains futile.
"A local Khasi from Khedagar Khasi Village had lodged complaints against the encroachment in the Khasi Villages besides the representatives of the Khasi villages submitting a memorandum that sought the prohibition of encroachment in Khasi Villages to the Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister in 2021", the general secretary added.
Maintaining that a delegate of KSU led by him arrived yesterday at Imphal and met Chief Minister N Biren Singh, he expressed contentment that the Chief Minister called up Tamenglong DC and instructed him over the phone to evict the illegal encroachment at the Khasi Villages in the same district without any hesitation.
The general secretary went on to inform that the Chief Minister has also assured the KSU delegates that the indigenous Khasis will be free from any form of threat or intimidation from all quarters.
He further lauded AMSU for arranging the meeting between the Chief Minister and KSU, saying that the two students' organizations have been the constituent organizations of North East Students Organization (NESO) .
NESO general secretary Sinam Prakash and AMSU general secretary Th Bikramjit were also present at the press meet.