MVVRFRPA voices against inscription on Anglo-Kuki War memorial stones
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, October 15 2019:
Launching sharp attack on the Kuki Inpi Manipur for observing the Anglo-Kuki War centenary in the 'wrong light' by erecting memorial stones with words "in defence of our ancestral land and freedom' inscribed on them, Manipur Valley Village Reserve Forest Right Protection Association (MVVRFRPA) today asserted that land Kukis are inhabiting are 'not' their ancestral land.
In a statement issued by its general secretary, MVVRFRPA claimed that the observance of the centenary and the inscriptions used are an "attempt of the Kukis to claim the land as their ancestors" .
Mentioning that the Kukis were given shelter and were 'refugees', MVVRFRPA asserted that the Anglo-Kuki war of 1917-19 was nothing but a "commotion between the British and the Kukis which was a result of the British using some Kukis as force labourers and imposition of house tax" .
"All groups and tribes concerned should not unnecessarily create division with hidden agenda," MVVRFRPA said.
It also condemned the Government for its failure to devise and enforce "One State One Land Law" and also demanded it to give valley districts the rights over the hills within its territories.