ATSUM (T) petitions Governor on ILPS issue
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 29 2015 : The All Tribal Students Union Manipur (ATSUM) has urged the Governor not to give his assent to the Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015 which is likely to be passed by the Manipur Legislative Assembly.

In a representation to the Governor, ATSUM pointed out that the Bill is being drafted as per the wish and whims of the JCILPS without any representation from the tribal Assembly members.

Historically, the hill tribes in the present Manipur were never ruled by the Manipur Raja.

In fact, it was the British who brought the hill areas within the fold of Manipur and engaged with them indirectly through the British Political Agent.

Even after Manipur was annexed after the Palace Uprising (1891), the hill areas was not brought under the Raja, but kept under the President of Darbur, a post reserved for a British officer.

Only after the Kuki Uprising (1917 � 1919), the British introduced new administrative arrangement for the hill areas by dividing into four subdivisions - each with a British officer in-charge stationed at the subdivisional headquarters.

Through the said system of administration it was changed from time-to-time, the separate administrative governance was continued even after the Manipur Merger Agreement was signed with the Government of India in 1949.In short the tribal people of Manipur are under separate administrative setup since British era and, much before the Indian Independence (1947) or the Merger Agreement of Manipur to the Union of India in 1949, ATSUM memo signed by its president Muan Tombing and secy Vareiyo Shatsang said.

When Manipur was about to be conferred statehood in 1972, there was an apprehension that the interest of the tribal would be at stake.

So, the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Council Act, 1971 was enacted by the Parliament to address the issue as a measure.

The Hill Areas of Manipur and its people are also protected by the Hill Areas Committee which is constitutionally envisaged under Article 371-C of the Indian Constitution.

But as this Committee has no longer Legislative and Judiciary powers, it cannot function to its intended provision of safeguarding the interest of the tribal in the Hill Areas of Manipur.

ATSUM stated that the demands for Inner Line Permit System (ILPS) and Schedule Tribe (ST) status for the already advanced Meitei community, declaration of the whole of Manipur as 'Hill State/Tribal State', and extension of Manipur Land Revenue & Land Reform Act (1960) to the whole State of Manipur are all ambiguous and not appropriate at all.

Furthermore, all these demands are designed with an intention to make all the mentioned issues interlinked as to empower the dominant community against the interest of the minority tribals.

It pointed out here that, the tribal of Manipur and its mandated Civil Societies (students, youth, women, chiefs and the apex bodies) are not at all consulted by the JCILPS before launching their intensive movement.

The State Cabinet also did not have the courtesy to consult the Hill Areas Committee even though the issue is much of relevance to the hill-tribal people as it is for the plain people of Manipur.

The student wing of the JCILPS also did not have the courtesy of at least informing the ATSUM of their involvement in the movement.

ATSUM is pained to the heart to silently see the closure of all educational institutions of Manipur for the last almost two months.

"We are saying this not just because hundreds of tribal students are affected but the reckless and wanton display of the JCILPS has done colossal damage to the student community which in fact, is a violation of the RTE Act 2009 .

As the tribal are nowhere involved in the proposed ILPS, even if it is passed by the Manipur Legislative Assembly, it should cover valley areas only as it is being proposed and propagated by the Meiteis of the valley.

The tribal people also feel the demand for the ILPS and its enforcement in the entire State of Manipur is aimed at having a uniform law for both valley and hills and is a ploy designed to serve the interest of a particular community.

The enforcement of ILPS will certainly pave way for marginalization of the hill tribals and alienated from their ancestral land.

Advocating certain indigenous tribal people of Manipur as outsiders/foreigners is a living example of this assertion.

The proposed Manipur Land Revenue & Land Reform Act (seventh Amendment Bill 2015) is a ploy to annul the existing MLR& LR Act, 1960 under Section 158, which requires the Dy Commissioner to first secure the consent of the ADC members within whose jurisdiction the land lies for transfer/purchase of land belonging to tribals, to non-tribals.

It is therefore for these reasons, the proposed bill was drafted specifically under Section 14A (1-5).Once this Bill is enacted then Section 14A (1-5) of the Bill would be fully implemented in toto, whereas, the existing Section 158 of the Principal Act will be purposely ignored/overlooked.

It also urged the Governor to make an official executive order so as to implement the power and function of the HAC independently as per Article 371-C and to cause the Governor of Manipur to exercise his discretion in the spirit of Article 371(2); 371-A [1(b)]; 371-C(1 ) and 371-F(g) to secure the proper functioning of the Hill Areas Committee which will go a long way in strengthening the interest of the State.

Comment