Displaced for 33 years, Mangkang villagers continue fight for lost homeland
Source: Chronicle News Service

Moreh April 19 2025: For the last 33 years, residents of the erstwhile Mangkang Naga village in Tengnoupal district have lived in a state of exile, unable to return to their ancestral land after fleeing during the Naga-Kuki clash in 1992 .

The small border village, located near border pillar number 76 under Moreh sub-division, was home to members of the Moyon and Anal communities and had existed since the British colonial period.

Officially recognised by the government on February 5, 1962, the village was once a peaceful settlement.

Displaced for 33 years, Mangkang villagers continue fight for lost homeland

When ethnic violence erupted in 1992, the villagers were forced to flee to save their lives, leaving behind their homes, land and everything that was familiar.

In their moment of despair, they were welcomed by the then chief of Kapam (Komlathabi) village, R Jinda Moyon, and the Kapam Village Authority, who offered them land to resettle and rebuild their lives.

Since then, the displaced villagers have remained there, far from their original home.

Speaking to The People's Chronicle, Mangkang Naga village chief Labang Moyon recounted how, after their flight, their deserted village was occupied by Kukis.

One individual, Lalkholun Haokip, allegedly took over the village, renamed it Haolenphai, and produced forged documents to claim its ownership.

Despite lacking the means to return physically, the original villagers have not given up their fight.

The village authority took the matter to court, and the case remains pending to this day.

"We cannot return, but we are still fighting just to retain ownership of the land left by our forefathers," said Labang Moyon with quiet determination.

He added that a memorandum had been submitted to the then chief minister on May 10, 2022, appealing for government intervention to restore their rights and enable the Moyon and Anal communities reclaim their heritage.

Though the displaced villagers continue to receive benefits under MGNREGS in the name of Mangkang Naga village, they remain deprived of other essential development schemes.

Their voices are often unheard, their suffering invisible.

Chief Labang Moyon urged the government to consult the Mangkang Naga Village Authority before initiating any development projects in the disputed area, now arbitrarily renamed Haolenphai.

"It has been 33 years.

We still live in shelter under another village.

All we ask is justice - not just for us, but for the generations that came before us, and those yet to be born," he said.