Jessami VC clarifies
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 17 2011: Referring to the news report as published in Nagaland Post under the heading "Tension at Manipur-Nagaland border over alleged abduction" and Dawn Tantak on November 11, the Jessami Village Council has issued a detailed clarification.

In a statement issued by its chairman Ayete Wezah, the village council clarified that a mob of Meluri village along with their Village Guards numbering around 80 personnel armed with service rifles came to the land of Jessami on three vehicles including two 407 mini-trucks allotted by Nagaland Government and one private vehicle.

They abducted six villagers of Jessami from Tevuno which is located 5/6 Kms away from proper Jessami village.

Nevertheless, Tevuno is clearly within the jurisdiction of Jessami village.

Jessami and Meluri are 31 Kms apart and they are connected by a bridge popularly known as August Bridge.

Tevuno and adjoining areas which are 126/127 Kms away from Kohima are located between Jessami and Langyi, a village in the West of Jessami and not between Meluri and Jessami as claimed by the Meluri Village Council.

These facts clearly testify the ridiculous nature of the claim made by Meluri Village Council and from these facts, one can easily who is encroaching upon whose land, asserted the Jessami Village Council.

As for the 436 bottles of IMF liquor reportedly seized from the cultivators, it was a deliberate gimmick played by the abductors just to cover up their wrong deeds.

The six abducted villagers were assaulted and tortured as indicated by bruises which were seen by police of both the States when they were released.

They were also forced to sign a confessional statement under severe threat by the Village Guards and Meluri villagers.

Encroaching upon Jessami in Manipur and abducting local villagers by Meluri villagers with the help of the neighbouring State's armed Village Guards was a highly offensive, illegal action which cannot be justified by any means, stated the Jessami Village Council.

Though it was not the first time people of Meluri abducted and harassed Jessami villagers, the Jessami Village Council has been trying to every problem amicably but the people of Meluri never responded positively.

Stating that every man has his tolerance limits, the village council cautioned that if the Meluri people continue their high-handed misadventure, time will come when Jessami villagers would be constrained to retaliate in a befitting manner.

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