Many react to Chief Minister's remark on land ownership
Source: The Sangai Express

Ccp/Kpi, July 13 2021: Many organisation of the State including the Kuki Chief Association, Kuki Reformation Forum (KReF) & Kuki Students' Organization General Headquarters have expressed their reservation against the statement made by the Chief Minister of Manipur that 'all lands belongs to the State' during a mass tree plantation at Mangjol village, Kangpokpi on July 5.The Kuki Chief Association in a statement clarified on the matter for the Chief Minister to understand and acknowledge the land ownership rights of the Kuki tribes who owned the lands before Manipur was formed, before India gained independence, and before the British came.

KCA stated that the Kukis have a clear history of living freely in their ancestral lands.

That Kuki fought the British during the Anglo-Kuki war 1917-1919 in defence of their ancestral land and freedom is well documented and acknowledged worldwide.

KCA alleged that the statement made by the Chief Minister, as much as it sounds preposterous, undermines the constitutional protections and safeguards given to the hill tribes under Article 371 (C) of the Indian Constitution in relation to their land ownership systems, land, resources, and their culture.

Further, the statement also undermines the existing provisions in the Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms Act' 1960 which exempted the 'hill areas' from the purview of operations of the said Act.

The Kuki Chief Association reiterated that the Government of Manipur represents both the hill and valley and it must respect the constitutional safeguards of the hill tribes enshrined by the Constitution and the various acts.

Meanwhile, the Kuki Students' Organization General Headquarters expressed its resentment and mentioned that the CM's statement not only undermined the sentiments of the local inhabitants and the tribal populace of the State but also shows the 'Orwellian nature' of his regime with total disregard for all norms of public opinion and democratic values.

A press release issued by KSO-GHQ said that the Kangpokpi-Kanglatongbi Reserved Forest (KK Reserved Forest) still remains a contested site between the local inhabitants and state government and it would have been a wiser act on the part of the latter to refrain from taking up any development projects until the status of the contested site is amicably resolved.

Kuki Students' Organization General Headquarters also warned that acquisition of tribal lands in the name of any development projects, Reserved Forests, or 'Protected Sites' through overt or covert means or through the use of brute state force will not be entertained at any cost.

Moreover, terming the statement made by the CM as insensitive and derogatory in nature, the Kuki Reformation Forum (KReF) appealed to all the right thinking people of Manipur to strongly condemn the insensitive remarks made by the CM.

The Kuki Reformation Forum stated that the statement of CM subverts the Rights and Provisions of the Tribals of Manipur enshrined in article 371 (C) of the constitution of India, of the right to self-administration for the Hill Areas of Manipur, and the right to their land and culture.

The Kuki Reformation Forum further expressed their unflinching support for all the tribal groups who have boldly stood and would stand for the cause of the Tribal Land and Rights, and particularly the Committee on Protection and Preservation of Mt Koubru (COPPK), and Sadar Hills Chiefs' Association (SAHILCA) who have been in the frontline against this iniquitous insult against tribal land and rights.

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