Committee, Rongmei body decry eviction drive
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, April 17 2023: While urging the government to stop conduct of eviction drive in areas settled by indigenous communities, Indigenous Tribals Land Protection Committee Manipur has asserted that eviction drives should be conducted only when absolutely necessary and after arriving at an understanding.

Addressing media persons at Langol Tarung community hall here on Monday which was attended by various tribal CSO leaders, Committee member Ashang Kasar lamented that the state government carried out eviction drives at Patilong and Macheng villages under Imphal East district, dismantled houses and drove out people on the ground that the houses have been constructed inside reserved forest area.

While pointing out that the drive was carried out in-spite of a case pending in the court, he also contended that it is not an act of protecting the indigenous people of the land.

If the state government continues to carry out the eviction drive by chasing out the indigenous people, the Naga indigenous people will be compelled to take up intense form of agitation against the state government, he cautioned.

He informed that the area where the tribal people are settling was purchased from the Meetei community and is not an encroached land.

Enquiring the rationale for herding away indigenous people from their area of settlement areas, Ashang Kasar said that the act is an attempt to disintegrate Manipur by dividing the indigenous people.

Meanwhile, Rongmei Naga Luh Phwam Manipur (RNLPM), Imphal Luangrian has strongly condemned the eviction drive carried out in Macheng Namthan and Pantilong villages.

In a statement, RNLPM pointed out that with the increase in human population, forest land is often brought under cultivations and human habitation from time to time.

This is a continuous process also referred to as urbanisation in particular and civilisation in general, which cannot be stopped by any power on the face of this earth.

Weaker sections of the society in some pockets may be exploited for the benefit of the stronger and more powerful section of the society.

However, the overall process of civilisation cannot be stopped by one sided action taken against the voiceless and marginalised section of the society.

The eviction of nine indigenous tribal families from Pantilong village on April 11 is a glaring example of exploitation of indigenous minority by the democratically elected welfare government, it claimed.

The Rongmei body also expressed regret that the government is according more importance to forest than livelihood of the indigenous tribal people.

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