Seijang urges Silent villagers to return home without fear
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, May 07 2013: Appealing to the villagers of Silent to return back to the village without fear, Seijang Development Committee has exclaimed that there is no enmity between the two villages and Seijang villagers do not look down upon any community as their subordinate.

Talking to media persons in this regard at Manipur Press Club here today, L Ragen, Convenor of Seijang Development Committee, reiterated that the land of Saijang Uyok Ching was given to one Waikhom Thambou of Seijang village to plant and raise trees by the State Durbar in 1932.The boundary of the land extends upto Naibi River to the North, Khaijin Sinphamlok to the South, Nongmangkha Lok to the East and upto the plains in the West.

He further informed that the eastern part of the land which was meant to plant and raise trees was in the name of a Kuki brother named Ngamkhulun.

But in 1962, the said land was bought by one Maipilen of Kashom Khullen, Phungyar.

In 1965, a joint meeting was convened wherein people of Seijang, Silent and some other villages took part.

The meeting unanimously resolved not to encroach upon the land of neighbouring villages and cut down trees.

However, as population of Silent village increased from 1965 onwards, the villagers started encroaching upon the land of Saijang Uyok Ching.

Since then, cases have been fought in the Court.

The first case was won by Seijang village.

Later, the case landed in Gauhati High Court after Silent village filed an appeal against the earlier court ruling.

Here again, the appeal of Silent village was defeated and Seijang village won the case, Ragen pointed out, while informing that all the relevant court orders are still intact.

After all these court cases, Hongbrang, son of Maipilen, who is the village Chief of Silent, again filed another case in the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kangpokpi in 2009 .

The case was later transferred to the Court of Session Judge, Imphal West.

After a long court battle, the Session Judge passed an Injunction order in favour of Seijang village, Ragen said.

However, even after all these court cases and judgment declaring that Uyok Ching belongs to Seijang village, the villagers of Silent kept on cutting down trees in Uyok Ching and constructing houses in the area.

So the villagers of Seijang finally came out on May 3 to measure the actual length and breadth of Seijang village and proceeded towards Uyok Ching.

Seeing the manner in which the villagers of Silent have begun constructing of houses in Uyok Ching area, some of the youths of Seijang lose control over themselves and started burning down the houses after calling out all the occupants.

So, there is no question of a particular community being targeted or looked down upon by another community, and there is no enmity between the people of Seijang and Silent villages, Ragen maintained, while appealing to the people of Silent village to return back to their village and settle peacefully like before.

Ragen observed that the people of Seijang have been trying to live in harmony with different communities.

But it is very unfortunate that some of the Naga NGOs are trying drive wedge and break the bond of brotherhood between the two neighbouring villages of Seijang and Silent.

He appealed to the leaders of these NGOs based in Delhi, Mumbai and other metropolitan cities not to incite communal hatred back home.

Ng Bhimo, President, Seijang Development Committee, H Gouro, member of the Committee and H Tombi, President, Seijang Progressive Youth Front were also present during the press conference.

Heikrujam Tombi, President, Seijang Progressive Youth Front categorically stated that Hongbrang, village chief of Silent must be held responsible for the unwanted incident that took place in his village on May 3 for the village chief has been allowing to build of new houses by encroaching upon the disputed land area after taking Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 per house and used the money to fight the case in the court that led to the unwanted incident.

Acknowledging the long time peaceful co-existence of the two villages, he also mentioned about the existing inter-marriage practice there and added that Seijang men married seven Kuki women and another three Tangkhul women.

He insisted that the Seijang villagers have neither communal feeling nor ill feeling toward the Silent villagers and Seijang villagers will never object the villagers of Silent settling down in their village so long as they do not impinge upon the land given by the Manipur state durbar.

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