COPTAM rallies for protection of tribal land
Source: The Sangai Express

Lamka, August 10 2010: The mass rally organised by COPTAM under the slogan 'protect tribal's land in the State' received overwhelming support in Churachandpur district where the district's apex student body, CDSU teamed up as a joint organizer.

Similar rallies were staged in many other hill district headquarters and sub-divisional headquarters.

Making it clear their annoyance on the State sponsored exploitation of the tribal people and their land, the organizers slammed the Govt, while addressing the crowd at Lamka public ground, about half-a-kilometre from the local police station.

Three maps of Manipur Remote Sensing and Application Centre's Manipur map that have been vended in the market were set aflame as the rallyists who started their their march towards the Deputy Commissioner's office.

Public rally staged at CCpur

COPTAM and several tribal bodies have for long expressed their reservations over the MARSAC's map which has allegedly distorted the district boundaries of many hill districts.

Sensing the emotional attachments of the tribals on the issue, the State police here had to stretch their strength to the limit to ensure that the rally went off without a hitch.

Top security officials of the district have all through the rally supervised the exercise of cordoning the rallyist in one of the largest security deployment witnessed at any public rally in the district.

Armed personnel, including the IRBs were deployed in strength at the police station in a reminiscent display of the police preparedness to thwart any attempt to repeat their gory experience in 2005 in the hands of students.

Nevertheless, a brief stand-off ensued at the Deputy Commissioner's gate as security officials posted there were reluctant to let the rallyist through without a prior permission of the DC.

The human-barricade formed by the police there was however breached after a brief altercation as the organizers contended that the permission if needed should be obtained beforehand.

A lengthy memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister, wherein the alleged state sponsored exploitation of the tribal populace was discussed in detail along with a separate representation to the Chief Minister which was presented through the Deputy Commissioner.

Issues pertaining from land records to Census, and reservations to autonomous district councils were mentioned with stark evidences in the memos that presented a comprehensive account of the tribal's despair.

At Saikul too, a similar rally was taken out on the same issue after holding a public meeting at Thangtong Government Higher Secondary School.

All shops and business establishments remained during the meeting and the rally.

Marching up to the office of the Saikul SDO, the protesters submitted another copy of the common memorandum to the Chief Minister through Saikul SDO L Nandakumar .

Throughout the course of the rally, the protesters used placards which read as "Our land is our destiny", "Restore original boundary", "Respect tribal rights", "Stop looting our land", "No bargain with out land" etc.

Following another protest rally starting from Thomas Ground, another copy of the common memorandum was submitted to the Kangpokpi ADC for conveyance to the Chief Minister.