KUKI ORGANIZATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS TRUST (KOHUR)
A Member of UN Special Consultative Status Since 2016
(Registered under the Indian Registration Act, 1908, Reg. No. 963 (V) on May 8, 2009)
Head Office: Eureka Café Building, Hill Town, Churachandpur – 795128
Date: 4th December, 2025
To
The Hon’ble Chairman
National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST)
6th Floor, Lok Nayak Bhawan
Khan Market, New Delhi – 110003
Subject: Urgent Request for Intervention to Nullify the Illegal Occupation and Transfer of Tribal Lands by Non-Tribal (Meitei) Persons in the Hill Areas of Manipur – Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Moreh (Tengnoupal District)
Respected Sir,
On behalf of the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust, we respectfully submit this representation to draw your immediate and serious attention to an issue that strikes at the heart of the survival, dignity, and constitutional rights of the Scheduled Tribes of Manipur. We seek the urgent intervention of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes to address the accelerating and unlawful occupation of notified tribal lands by non-tribal individuals—predominantly from the Meitei community—in the Hill Areas of Manipur, namely Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Moreh (Tengnoupal District).
I. The Legal Sanctity of Tribal Land Protection in Manipur
India’s constitutional jurisprudence has long upheld the imperative of protecting tribal lands from alienation and encroachment to safeguard the cultural identity, customary practices, and economic security of Scheduled Tribes. Although Manipur is not formally a Fifth Schedule area, the State possesses a distinct protective framework that embodies this constitutional ethos:
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Section 158 of the Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms Act, 1960, categorically states:
“No transfer of land by a tribal to a non-tribal shall be valid unless it is with the previous permission of the Deputy Commissioner...”
This provision effectively prohibits non-tribal persons—including Meiteis who are not recognised as Scheduled Tribes—from acquiring, occupying, or transferring land in the Hill Areas without explicit statutory permission. In practice, it bars non-tribal land ownership in tribal districts except where narrowly permitted by law.
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The Hill Areas Committee (HAC), constituted under the Manipur Legislative Assembly (Hill Areas Committee) Order, 1972, together with the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Councils Act, 1971, establishes a special legislative and administrative framework for safeguarding tribal interests. Any deviation from this regime violates statutory protections and the constitutional mandate of tribal self-governance.
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Article 46 of the Constitution obligates the State to protect the economic and educational interests of Scheduled Tribes and shield them from exploitation—an obligation that extends to preventing land alienation.
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The Supreme Court in Samatha v. State of Andhra Pradesh (1997 8 SCC 191) reaffirmed the sacrosanct nature of tribal land rights, observing that even State action cannot dismantle protective legislative frameworks intended for Scheduled Tribes.
Although the case pertained to a Fifth Schedule area, the principle of protection from exploitation and dispossession is of universal relevance and applies with equal vigour to Manipur, where analogous safeguards such as Section 158 exist.
II. Systematic Breach of Legal and Constitutional Boundaries
Despite these unambiguous legal protections, illegal non-tribal encroachment into tribal lands has escalated over the years, acquiring a dangerous and politically charged dimension. The following districts have become epicentres of unlawful land occupation:
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Churachandpur District:
Areas along the district’s periphery have witnessed encroachment by Meitei individuals and organisations through clandestine means, including benami transactions and unauthorised settlements.
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Kangpokpi District:
Lands situated along key economic corridors and national highways are being informally acquired or forcibly occupied by non-tribals, leveraging the deliberate inaction of State authorities.
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Moreh (Tengnoupal District):
As a strategic border town, Moreh has become the target of demographic engineering through the orchestrated settlement of non-tribal populations, including Meiteis and non-ST migrants, reportedly with tacit state support.
These acts do not merely represent administrative lapses—they constitute a direct assault on tribal autonomy, identity, and constitutional guarantees. In several instances, district-level authorities have either facilitated or ignored such encroachments, raising serious concerns of complicity.
III. Political Climate and Institutional Discrimination
The surge in illegal occupation corresponds with a broader political narrative in Manipur that seeks to delegitimise tribal land rights, mischaracterise constitutional safeguards as “privileges,” and promote homogenisation in the name of development or law and order. This has manifested in:
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Misapplication of forest and revenue laws to selectively target tribal settlements while shielding illegal non-tribal occupation.
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Systematic misuse of state institutions—police, revenue officials, and district administrations—to harass tribal landholders.
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Suppression of tribal voices through criminalisation, intimidation, and internet shutdowns, preventing the documentation and reporting of land alienation.
The pattern clearly reveals not isolated incidents but an institutionalised and coordinated effort to undermine the rights of Scheduled Tribes in Manipur.
IV. Our Appeal to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes
Under Article 338A of the Constitution, the NCST is vested with the authority to monitor, investigate, and safeguard the constitutional and statutory rights of Scheduled Tribes. In the present context, the Commission’s intervention is both urgent and indispensable.
We therefore humbly submit the following requests:
1. Investigate and Nullify Illegal Occupation:
Constitute an independent fact-finding committee to investigate all instances of illegal occupation of tribal lands by non-tribals in Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Moreh.
We urge the Commission to recommend that all land transfers and occupations in contravention of Section 158 of the MLR & LR Act, 1960, be declared null and void with immediate effect.
2. Enforce Accountability and Halt Further Encroachment:
Direct the State Government to undertake a comprehensive land audit in the Hill Areas.
An immediate moratorium must be imposed on all land transactions involving non-tribals until corrective actions are completed.
Officials found complicit in facilitating or ignoring illegal occupation must be held accountable under law.
3. Recommend Strengthening of Constitutional Safeguards:
Recommend to the Union Government the extension of Fifth Schedule-like protections to the Hill Areas of Manipur.
We further urge the Commission to exercise its powers under Article 338A to place this matter before the President and Parliament to secure enduring constitutional and legislative remedies.
CONCLUSION
The tribal peoples of Manipur have, for generations, lived in harmony with their land, drawing identity, sustenance, and cultural continuity from it. Today, that heritage stands threatened by systematic dispossession, discriminatory state practices, and an aggressive narrative of exclusion.
We place our trust in the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes as the constitutional custodian of our rights and appeal for decisive intervention at this critical moment.
We remain available to furnish supporting documents, testimonies, and historical land records to substantiate this representation.
Thanking you for your attention and anticipated action.
(H.S BENJAMIN MATE)
Chairman
Kuki Organization For Human Rights Trust
Copy to:
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Hon’ble Member Shri Nirupam Chakma
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