UNC to impose 48-hr bandh from Oct 22 midnight
Source: Hueiyen News Service / NNN

Senapati, October 20 2015: United Naga Council (UNC) has announced that it will impose a 48-hour bandh in all the tribal districts of Manipur from midnight of October 22 in protest against the bills, rules, acts and notification considered against the interests of the tribal communities and against the three bills and two resolutions passed by the Manipur Legislative Assembly on August 31 last.

The UNC in a statement alleged that the three Bills and two resolutions passed by Manipur Legislative Assembly are another manifestation of decades old "exploitation, subjugation and suppression" of the tribal people in Manipur.

UNC recalled that the state cabinet adopted a decision to implement the Manipur Land Use Policy in 2014 in the entire state and the cabinet adopted a decision to abolish the Manipur (Hill Areas) Village Authority Act, 1956, in 2014 .

UNC also alleged that Manipur reservation of vacancies in Post and Services for ST/SC Acts 1976 has been kept in-operative.

The '100 Point Roster' in reservation was replaced by "200 Point Roster", 2007 against the wishes of the tribal communities, said UNC.

The council further said that in the name of police boundary, over 100 tribal villages in the foothills were amalgamated to the valley districts.

The government of Manipur opposed the implementation of Delimitation Commission's Report in 2001 .

Militarization in the entire hills and tribal Areas where there is peace and normalcy under ceasefire and Suspension of Operation (SoO) have been actively operative, said UNC.

The council expressed dismay with the alleged "imposition of Meetei Mayek" on the tribal population in all the educational Institutions and alleged that the Government was totally opposed to any Constitutional provisions of India for the protection of the tribal people.

"Any democratic forms of people's movement in the hill/tribal areas have been crushed using live bullets to suppress the genuine political aspirations of the people," the UNC stated.

Justifying the demand for separate administration for the Nagas and tribal communities, UNC appealed all the tribal people of Manipur to extend cooperation and support the proposed 48-hour bandh.

UNC also sought the Government of India's political intervention on the current State of affairs in the state at the earliest.

PHED, electricity, medical services, religious ceremonies, funeral programmes and educational institutions will be exempted from the purview of the bandh, said UNC.

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