ZHRF joins separate administration demand
Source: The Sangai Express / S Singlianmang Guite

Lamka, September 09 2015 : The Zomi Human Rights Foundation has joined the bandwagon that demanded a separate administrative set up for the State tribal saying the State is overwhelmed with the misconception that democracy should be a Government of the majority, by the majority and for the majority.

The manner and method in which the Protection of the Manipur Peoples Bill, 2015, Manipur Land Reforms and Land Revenue (7th Amendment) Bill and the Manipur Shop and Establishment (2nd Amendment) Bill were conceived, drafted, introduced and passed in the special session of the Manipur Legislative Assembly on Aug 31 was against all the established norms of democratic process and procedure, alleged the foundation.

It added that the three Bills were never kept in the domain of the public for comments nor are comments from the public solicited before it was introduced and passed.

Such hasty, secretive introduction and passing of the three bills without full debate and discussion is undemocratic and unconstitutional.

Hours after the passages of the three Bills in the Manipur Legislative Assembly, protest emanated from all the Hill districts of Manipur, echoing the displeasure of the indigenous hills tribal people against the Bills.

To rein in the protesters in the second largest town of Manipur in Lamka (Churachandpur) , the men in uniform resorted to indiscriminate firing of live bullets on the unarmed protesters, and the lives of nine unarmed protesters have been taken away and causing injuries to thirty.

The act in which the security forces acted by firing live bullets without any warning to the protesters through languages or means by which it could be understood was incomprehensible.

'State Terrorism is leashed out on the unarmed protester without any regret,' it said.

The ZHRF also contended that had the Bills passed been considered to be not detrimental to the interests of the indigenous Hills Tribal of Manipur, the people at the helm of affairs, including the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) whom the indigenous Hill Tribal have elected and entrusted should have by now put into the public domain the documents like the National Registration of Citizen, 1951, the Census Report of 1951 and the Village Directory 1951 for the public to corroborate.

It is also the duty of the Government of the day to assuage the fear of the indigenous hill tribal people by bringing out the veracity of the claims that they have been making.

What will happen to one who has been contributing to the growth of culture, ethos and practices for the last fifty years and more and finding oneself one fine morning not to be included within the term the Manipur People? The terms native people of Manipur is misgiving in as much as it has no definition in the Bill.

Reading between the lines and segregating between the black and white and the grey part of the bills, the intent of the bills and the purpose for which it was introduced and passed becomes crystal clear, said the ZHRF.

With all these events at the backdrop, the ZHRF has joined the call for creation of a separate administrative setup for the indigenous hill tribal people of Manipur away from the present setup.

It has expressed their sympathy and also conveyed their deepest condolences to all the bereaved family members of those who had made supreme sacrifices for the cause and unity of the indigenous hill tribal people, and condemn the high-handedness of the security forces for their brutality in shooting to kill unarmed protesters in the guise of dispersing them.

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