Police dismantle 'houses' at Silent village TNL, UNC, TKLI condemn
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 02 2013: Barely four months after 36 houses at Silent village near Imphal East were torched by the neighboring villagers over a protracted land dispute, the police on Tuesday evening allegedly dismantled four houses of the same village, incensing the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL), the apex body of the Tangkhul community no end.

When The Sangai Express contacted the SP of Imphal East police, Kamei Angam Romanus today evening, he said that the police swung into action as the huts, not houses, were built on a disputed area.

The SP said that the dismantled structures were not houses but makeshift huts and put the number of huts at three not four.

A senior police officer arrived at Silent village on Tuesday afternoon and told the villagers to report to his office the next day along with the relevant documents, a TNL leader said.

On Tuesday evening around 6.10 pm , a fleet of 11 police vehicles appeared all of a sudden without any information and started dismantling 4 houses at the village.

Seeing what was happening, the womenfolk started banging electric poles after which Manipur police commandos left the village and on checking, "two hens and a sum of Rs 1500 were found missing," he said.

Yarthokthing Kashung, TNL care-taker president condemned what he described as "the uncivilized behaviour demonstrated by the Manipur police commandos" in the strongest term for dismantling the "roofs of unarmed villagers.

"Intrusion into the village with evil intention and terrorizing the villagers in the dark is highly condemnable," he said.

"The Nagas and their land are inseparable.

We have traditional boundaries.

We will defend our ancestral homeland at all cost and we will never allow anyone to encroach into our land without prior knowledge and consent," he said.

36 houses in Silent village were reduced to cinders on May 3 this year by the neighboring Seijang villagers, who swarmed the village armed with lethal weapons forcing the police to remain vigil for quite a long time.

There have been protracted land dispute between the two neighboring villages.

Meanwhile the United Naga Council (UNC) has strongly condemned the destruction of 4 houses in Silent Tangkhul village by police commandos around 6 pm of October 1 .

A statement issued by the UNC said that the four houses were makeshift shelters of families whose houses had been burnt down on May 3 by 'communal forces' .

This time around it was the commando force of the GoM, which has taken over from the non State communal forces.

This lawless act was carried out in spite of the presence and request for restraint of the IRBs, who had been stationed there in view of the law and order situation since May 3 attack.

While it is the bounden duty of a Government to protect the life and property of its citizens, irrespective of the community that they belong to, the GoM uses its force to destroy the shelters of citizens whose houses have been burnt down by communal forces, it alleged.

"What makes this incident significant is that it is not an isolated aberration.

The reprehensible manner and force deployed in wiping out the Naga River Colony in Imphal on the pretext of making space for a 5 star hotel and the harassment, intimidation, damage to property of tribals in Poumai Colony -Laipham Khunou to stop them from constructing houses on land they have purchased on the pretext of protecting agricultural land in the heart of Imphal city are examples, and of which tribal areas are replete with, how the communal agenda are being pursued by both the state and non state actors of the Imphal valley," the UNC statement said.

It is all pervasive - legislation, acts and laws, force and violence are all being used to uproot tribals from their rightful places.

On the other hand appeals are made from official and public platform unceasingly for peace coexistence among the communities.

As per the GoM, Nagas and tribal must suffer "peacefully" while their constitutional rights, their land, their identity and democratic aspirations are being obliterated with brute force or subtle instruments.

The much spoken of "social divide" stems from the unmistakeable fact that everything that makes for dignity and honour of the human person of the tribals is sought to be kept in the custody of the communal GoM and the dominant community which informs and influence its decision, it said.

The tripartite dialogue process of the Nagas in Manipur, the Govt.of India and the GoM seeks to address this very issue of social divide and empowerment through an alternative arrangement outside the GoM.

It is a democratic process and Nagas have been upholding it with due respect.

But despite this, the GoM continues to use its machineries and force to usurp the land and rights of the Nagas and the tribals, disrespectful the process of peace and settlement.

There is no desire nor attempt to respect the tribal and their democratic rights.

Rather what will be allowed to the tribals is determined by the interest of the GoM, which ironically GoM claims to be that of the entire people of the State.

Nagas and tribals will have to be ever vigilant and be in readiness to engage the communal designs of the adversary effectively, it stated.

The Tangkhul Katamnao Long Imphal (TKLI) has also taken a strong exception at the brutality of Manipur police personnel to the residents of Silent village, acting at the behest of an inconsiderate Chief Minister, reports NNN.

In a most inhumane manner, Silent village residents were taunted, intimidated and then their houses ransacked.

According to TKLI, altogether three houses have been forcibly demolished without prior announcement and consideration.

The police personnel that came in 12 vehicles came to Silent village on October 1 on war footing and immediately started ransacking, taunting with derogatory remarks and intimidation of hurling bombs inside the residents, while forcibly dismantling the houses.

While on the act, the police personnel started confiscating money and domestic fowls.

Altogether Rs.1500 have been looted and two chicken fowls forcibly snatched, it alleged.

"It can be recalled that some residents of Silent village was forced to live as refugees in their own land by the government of Manipur since May, 2013.So far, the government has been ignoring all the pleas of the residents for months.

This office expresses deep insecurity of the people when such excessive notoriety of the Chief Minister and the government of Manipur increase day by day," the TKLI said.

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