Tribal students call emergency meeting in Delhi

NEW DELHI/CCPUR, SEPT 01, 2015: The incident which broke out in Churachandpur on August 31 led to emergency meeting of Delhi-based tribal students’ organization of Manipur in JNU late night on August 31. Leaders and members of the Kuki Students Organisation, Zomi Students Federation and Hmar Students Association attended the meeting. The meeting resolved to hold a peace rally in New Delhi on September 2.

The protestors who agitated over the passing of three Bills – The Protection of Manipur Peoples Bill 2015, the Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (Seventh Amendment) Bill 2015 and the Manipur Shops and Establishments (Second Amendment) Bill 2015 –  set a blazed the houses of all MLAs from the district.

During the agitation, police shot dead three persons, source said. The deceased have been identified as Thangzalian (20) s/o Vungching of Hiangtam Lamk, H. Paulianmang (23) S/o (L) H. Thianlal of Dorcas Veng and Pausuanlian (19) s/o Zenkhanching of New Lamka Vengnuam.

House of Thangso Baite, MP (Outer), Phungzathang Tonsing, Health Minister, TN Haokip MLA/Saikot AC, Chaltonlien Amos,  MLA/Tipaimukh, Vungzagin Valte, MLA/Thanlon, Manga Vaiphei, MLA/ Henglep, and GS Haopu, MLA/Singngat were burnt down by the angry mob on the night August 31.

KNO, ZRO, HPC (D), Zomi Council, Kuki Inpi Churachandpur, Hmar Inpui, Mizo People Council, Gangte Tribe Union, Hmar Youth Association, Kuki Khanglai Lompi, Zomi Youth Association, Young Mizo Association, KSO Churachandpur, Hmar Student Association, YMA, CoPTAM, KSDC held an emergency meeting in Lamka on September 1.

“We have been targeted with neglect and discrimination. All funds meant for our development have either been diverted or misappropriated by the Meitei majority and their clones,” said PS Haokip, Presdient, Kuki National Organisation in his speech.

He added, “For all these years, we have suffered injustice and now it has become intolerable. Not satisfied with depriving us of our developmental rights, they are now planning to snatch our land by calling us foreigners”.

“They arbitrarily have passed a bill which will uproot those of us whose villages were not in their records since 1951. I am telling them today, and I want us to tell them that we don't need them to record that we lived in our lands much before their government intruded onto our lands,” stated PS Haokip.

So far seven persons have been killed by the police, sources confirmed. Still tension grips in Churachandpur, after the tribals protested the passing of three bills which have impinged the rights of the tribal people. Delhi-based tribal students of Manipur scheduled to have another round of meeting on Tuesday evening.

~ BRUCE K. THANGKHAL

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