Seminar on tribal issues
Source: The Sangai Express / Newmai News Network
Imphal, December 08 2012:
The two-day 'Mega Tribal Seminar' concluded today at Tribal Research Institute (TRI) in Imphal with few more tribal intellectuals presenting papers of tribal issues.
All Manipur Tribal Union (AMTU) general secretary Romeo Bungdon in his paper on 'Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Acts,' said that these Acts are nothing but to prevent the commission of offences of atrocities against the members of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes and to provide for special courts for the trial of such offences and for relief and rehabilitation of victims of such offences and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
"Despite various measures to improve the socio-economic conditions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, they remain vulnerable.
They are denied number of civil rights.
They are subjected to various offences, indignities, humiliations and harassment.
They have, in several brutal incidents, been deprived of their life and property.
Serious crimes are committed against them for various historical, social and economic reasons," alleged Romeo Bungdon in his paper.
The AMTU leader then lamented that existing laws like the protection of Civil Rights Acts, 1955 and the normal provisions of the Indian Penal Code have found inadequate to check the crimes committed against the SC/ST.
"A special legislation to check and deter crimes against them has therefore, becomes necessary," Romeo Bungdon suggested.
Dr R Sanga in his paper on 'Manipur (Village Authority in Hill Areas) Act of 1956 said, "The Parliament passed the Manipur Village Authority (in hil areas) Act,1956, for the administration in the hill areas in the state of Manipur.
The Act, which was implemented in 1957, determined the number of members of a village authority on the basis of the number of tax-paying houses" .
Dr R Sanga then said that the composition of members for the village authority envisages under the different acts accorded due emphasis to tribal customary laws and traditional practices and usages.
The Manipur State Hill Peoples (Administration) Regulation, 1947 empowered the chiefs the right to nominate the members of the village authority while the subsequent Act in 1956 tried to impose restrictions on this power by introducing the provision for election of the members, if not to be nominated by the deputy commissioner of the district.
"The Manipur (Village Authorities in Hill Areas) Act, 1956 introduced the controversial provision for election of the members of the village authority on the basis of adult franchise by repealing the Manipur State Hill Peoples (Administration) Regulation, 1947," Dr R Sanga stated.
Meanwhile, concluding the two-day event, AMTU president and former minister D.P Panmei said that the seminar was a useful one and stated that organising more of such programmes in future will bring ignorance among the tribal community.
The two-day seminar billed as the "Mega Tribal Seminar" was organised jointly All Manipur Tribal Union (AMTU), Committee on Protection of Tribal Areas, Manipur (COPTAM), ATWO, ATCFM, TNAL and TLRCC at Tribal Research Institute (TRI), Imphal.
Comment
