Tribal forum appeals CM to de-notify, withdraw Chibu stone inscription
Source: The Sangai Express

Churachandpur, May 19 2020: The Tribal Intellectual Forum, Manipur has appealed Chief Minister N Biren Singh to "urgently de-notify and withdraw" Chibu stone inscription and stop constructing Chandrakirti Memorial Park at Chivu located along the Indo-Myanmar border.

In their representation submitted to the Chief Minister, the forum said they are deeply concerned and disturbed by the alleged Government plan to use the site of Chibu stone inscription as a "proxy" to construct a Memorial Park after the name of the "controversial" king, Chandrakirti Singh at Chivu, near Behiang along Indo-Myanmar border amidst of COVID-19 outbreak.

"While we appreciate and welcome your effort to promote tourism and development as a part of India's Act East Policy, your calculated move to use Chandrakirti Memorial Park as a mascot to promote tourism and development not only contradicts your professed avowal on Chingmi-Tammi amatani (hill-valley people are one)." The move may also endanger inter-communal peace, harmony, and the promotion of tourism and development at large in Manipur, said the forum.

"The project to promote Chandrakirti Memorial Park around the pivotal site of Chibu stone inscription, which is protected under the Manipur Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1976, stems from a wilful distortion and manipulation of history," alleged the forum asserting that move is being seen as a proxy to "snatch" away tribal land which may open up a deep historical wound and "wilfully insult" the dignity, self-respect and pride of the tribal people.

"The Chibu stone inscription founded on a blatant lie at best and a manipulated and distorted history at worst precisely because it falsely attributes the British's military victory over the Lushai chiefs during the Lushai Expedition, 1871-72 as if it was the victory of Chandrakirti Singh, whose participation was only as a contingent force in the expedition," argued the forum.

It further claimed that the official signboard in Chivu falsely claims that the stone inscription erected in 1872 during the reign of Chandrakirti Singh commemorates his 'victory over 112 rebel Lushai chiefs'.

In fact, the letter alleged, "Government of Manipur (GoM) used this spurious historical version to prevail upon the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to recognize this and record the blatant lie that the Chibu stone inscription records the victory of king Chandrakirti over the rebel chiefs of Lushai in AD 1872.ASI further registered that 'it refers to the subjugation of 112 villages and capturing of 4 Lushai chiefs in the course of an expedition led by Souwaijamcha Balaram Singh Major and Kangabam Cha Thangal Major assisted by one British officer" .

The blatant lie and manipulated historical version is recorded in pp 120-21 of the book, Indian Archaeology 1987-89: A Review authored by MC Joshi, the then Director General of ASI and published by ASI in 1993 .

To be sure, the British's military expedition, famously known as the Lushai Expedition, 1871-72 is very well documented in the colonial writings of Alexander Mackenzie, The North East Frontier, RG Woodthorpe, The Lushai Expedition, and Carey and Tuck, The Chin Hills, vol 1.There are also solid archival sources on this historical event which showed that the Manipur contingent, drafted by the then officiating Political Agent of Manipur, Major General WF Nuthall under instruction from and command of Brigadier General G Bourchier, the commanding officer of the Cachar column, had never directly participated nor entered into the Lushai Hills during the Lushai Expedition, claimed the forum.

Major General WF Nuthall had, in his report on the Lushai Expedition to CU Aitchison, the then Secretary to the Government of India, Foreign Department dated 12 April 1872, underscored Bourchier's instruction that the main task of the Manipur contingent was merely to 'watch' and 'restrain' the "eastern Kamhow's tribes" from joining the 'Lushai chiefs'.

Although this contingent was instructed by Brigadier General Bourchier to headquarter themselves at Moirang and not to move beyond Tsek-la-pi (near Moirang), the headquarters of the southern frontier posts of Manipur, in breach of this instruction they marched far beyond this to encamp themselves at Chivu located in what has now become the Indo-Myanmar border.

When the British completed their military expedition in early March 1872, the Manipur contingent was asked to return to their base in Imphal.

On March 7, 1872 when the Manipur contingent was about to return, one of the important chiefs of the tribal people, Goukhothang, and his men happened to pass through this camp whence upon Balaram and Thangal, the two majors commanding the Manipur contingent, 'treacherously seized to borrow Bourchier's words' Goukhothang and his men.

Goukhothang subsequently died in jail in 1873, claimed the forum.

The construction of Chandrakirti Memorial Park at the site of Chibu stone inscription therefore evokes this wounded historical past as the tribal people continue to see blood in the hand/name of Chandrakirti Singh, insisted the letter.

The forum further maintained, 'instead of being sensitive to this wounded historical past, and the fact that the Chibu stone inscription was based on wilful manipulation and distortion of history, GoM had invoked 'public interest' to acquire 607.50 sq metres of land in Chivu way back in 1989 and protected this site by invoking the Manipur Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1976 in 1993."Acquisition of tribal land through deceit, wilful manipulation and distorted history is patently illegal and must be revoked immediately," it said.

"The land acquired by GoM on the above grounds must be restored to the rightful owner immediately and your Government should immediately abandon Chandrakirti Memorial Park and initiate legal process for the denotification of Chibu Stone Inscription," said the forum.

Three high ranking State officials including two local officers from Churachandpur district had visited the site amidst the Nation-wide lockdown on April 19, the forum said adding that any misadventure to insistently promote Chandrakirti Memorial Park around the centrepiece of Chibu stone inscription would be seen as an "open and wilful attempt to affront the self-respect, dignity and pride of the local tribal people in the Indo-Myanmar borderland".

The ZoRO GHQ also joined the chorus in expressing their apprehension over the park at Chivu.

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