COCOMI fumes, AMUCO gives peace call
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, May 02 2023: While Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has taken serious note of the recent violent activities committed by certain groups in Churachandpur district, All Manipur United Clubs' Organisation (AMUCO) expressed concern over the emerging threat to the unity and integrity of Manipur due to sectarian thoughts and separatist steps taken by some communities.

In a statement, COCOMI said that NRC could be one vital step to resolve some of the major issues of the state and strongly called for early conduct of NRC exercise while another statement of AMUCO appealed to leaders of the communities concerned endorsing divisive agenda to consider the matter seriously and take steps cautiously for safeguarding the integrity of Manipur and ensure peaceful co-existence.

While apprising the government that all the issues arising out of reserved forest, deforestation, unnatural village expansions, massive poppy plantation, never-ending drug trafficking, anti-state activities and communal hatred are the creation or conduct of people who do not value the age-old tradition of respecting forest, securing future environmental health, respecting the history of the state and lack of allegiance to the state and its idea of peaceful co-existence with a shared future, COCOMI said that NRC could be one vital step to resolve some of the major issues in the state.

On the other hand, AMUCO called upon all the individuals and organisations involved in communal activities to retract their steps and instead help in bringing peace and harmony while maintaining that any step taken by a community by criticising and suppressing another community would never be successful.

While urging government to identify those trying to trigger communal clash and book them in time to award severest punishment, AMUCO warned that an communal tension will persist when some communities cross the tolerance limit.

According to AMUCO, communal politics played by some communities create various problems in Manipur and cause immense hardship to people from time to time.

There is no wrong when a community takes up steps for welfare of own but such steps should never be taken up against the interest of other communities which AMUCO would not tolerate but fight accordingly.

Meanwhile, COCOMI said that the committee is deeply concerned by the violent activities committed by certain group in Churachandpur district in protest against eviction drive by forest department at K Sonjang Reserved Forest area spearheaded by Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), Manipur.

Considering all the developments and taking into account some of the contentious issues, it is high time people of Manipur from across all the groups and ethnicity who have their undoubted allegiance to the state of Manipur and its unity in diversity have many things to ponder upon from the recent incident that took place in Churachandpur since the eviction drive in the reserved forest area by the forest department, the COCOMI statement said.

Reacting sharply to the joint statement of ITLF and All Lamka United Youths, the COCOMI statement issued by its media coordinator said that the statement from the tribal groups lacks legal basis as they find it judicious to encroach into Reserved Forest area.

It also said that eviction by the state government was as per the existing law of the land, the very law which also give them the protection, rights and privileges aS a Scheduled Tribe Community in the country.

The statement of ITLF and All Lamka United Youths said that declaration of tribal lands as Protected Forests/Reserved Forests, Wildlife Sanctuaries and Wetlands is an attempt to drive tribal out of their ancestral lands while demolition of churches is nothing but a show of brute force.

The joint statement also said that the policy of establishing historical claims over tribal villages through distorted history such as that in the Chandrakirti Park, Tonzang, is another nefarious policy to grab tribal lands.

According to COCOMI, it is illegal when a group of people trespasses and establishes villages and Churches inside the reserved forest area and not the eviction which were conducted later after due procedure as per the established law to protect the forest from exploitations.

It is understandable that evicting houses and churches often attracts emotional sentiments but it should have been cautioned by the local leaders concerned in the first place and not to instigate later.

Playing the card of Churches and religion sentiments under the pretext of wrong reason could have a very negative impact to the sanctity and holiness of all the Churches and its followers in the state.

Moreover, misuse of Churches and its establishment as a tool to organise agitations and act against the law of the land could demean the very idea of worshipping god for truth and justice in Churches by the Christian community in Manipur and it could take down the essence of all the standing Churches in Manipur to jeopardy, COCOMI remarked.

Organisations in Churachandpur and other hill districts which do not have allegiance to the idea of the state of Manipur and its civilizations cannot be held accountable or responsible in any form of campaign or demand as their lack of integrity and dedication towards Manipur is questionable and any such groups or organisation armed or unarmed shall be faced by COCOMI at all cost to defend and maintain the status quo of the existing state as one entity.

Regarding the public rally being planned by various tribal organisations on May 3 in hill districts, COCOMI said that it is just another attempt by the vested interest group from among the communities to disturb the developing peaceful co-existence among various ethnic communities and such dissent and challenging action from the hill brethren will only help the vested interest group to take optimum advantage of the situation.

The recent press release of an organisation called Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) based in Aizawl, Mizoram is one example of a vested interest group which is ambitious enough to interfere in the domestic affairs of Manipur from beyond.

The over ambitious Mizo people of Mizoram do not understand the very essence of Inner Line Permit System in Manipur until they bind themselves regulated while visiting the state of Manipur.

Mizoram has ILP system since the enactment of this regulation during British era and the so called MZP never ever acknowledged the necessity of relaxing ILP for the Northeast brethren in the past.

To be continued .

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