In Churachandpur district, the march started at Lamka Public Ground by 10 am and ended peacefully at Tuibong Peace Ground by 1 pm, covering a distance of 2 kms approximately. Around one lakh people participated in the march.
ATSUM want to spread a message to the Centre Government not to include MEITEI in ST list. ATSUM want the High Court of Manipur appeals should be null and void.
~ ITLF
Q. Why are YOU
protesting on the streets today?
1. The communal demand for ST status by the
dominant meitei community and unlawful recommendation by Manipur Highcourt. Currently,
the Meiteis cannot buy land from the ST in the Hill Areas as the tribal land in
the Hill Areas is protected by Article 371C of the Constitution and its
accompanying notifications. This is one of the reasons why the demand of the
Meiteis, to be ST and avail the 7.5% quota when they are already enjoying 27%
under the OBC quota, is being viewed with suspicion by the current ST of
Manipur.
2. The declaration of tribal lands as Reserved and protected forest without the informed consent of the Hill tribals.
3. The abuse of government machinery by elected leaders to coerce the masses to fulfill communal purposes.
4. Prolonged and perennial state-sponsored tactics and laws surreptitiously designed to grab tribal lands. Most recent example will be the infamous 3 bills unrest in 2015. The tribal-hill district erupted on August 31, 2015, after the state legislature passed the Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015, and two amendments: The Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (7th Amendment) Bill and the Manipur Shops and Establishments (2nd Amendment) Bill.
5. Systematic discrimination and alienation of the tribals by the dominant community of Manipur – the Meiteis. The reality is that the Meiteis are wealthier, wield both political and administrative power, have higher population than all tribes combined in Manipur, have 40 members of Legislative Assembly in a house of 60 members; have 8 ministers, including the CM, in a Cabinet of 12; have more professionals like doctors, professors and engineers and occupy most of the important posts in the State, and hence, are in a very commanding position. All universities, high standard schools, national-level institutes, medical colleges, state-level hospitals, businesses, major infrastructure like markets, airport, railway station are located in the Imphal valley. Under such circumstances, the Meiteis have already enjoyed an unassailable upper hand and the tribals are suppressed in every sphere of life. The demand of the Meiteis, if conceded, would mean that the current ST would have to compete with the Meiteis for the ST reserved posts in the State. Needless to say all ST benefits in the State will be taken by the Meiteis as the current ST will not be able to compete with the advanced ST Meiteis.
6. There is an imminent risk that any attempt to give the Meiteis ST status will upset the prevailing social, economic, political and peaceful communal situation for the worst. It could lead to a situation where the ST of Manipur will feel helpless, forcing them to fight for their survival as they sense that they will soon be losing their share of jobs, seats and land to the dominant community if they get the ST status.
Q. Why do you oppose Meitei demand for ST
status?
1. If the meitei dominant community is
granted a ST recognition, the Constitutional provision of Article 371 C that
safeguards the interest of the present scheduled tribes can be rendered null
and void. The category of ‘Scheduled Tribe’ meant to safeguard the hills tribals
from the dominant community will be rendered useless.
2. All the constitutional provisions which are meant to safeguard the tribals from the dominant meitei community will be rendered useless. This includes - The Hill Areas Committee order 1972, the Manipur Land Reform and Land Revenue Act 1960, the Manipur Hill Areas Village Authorities Act 1956, the Manipur Hill areas District Councils Act 1971.
3. When different societies in India were classified under Article 341 and Article 342 as Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), respectively, after it became a Republic, the Meitei community, who are regarded as descendants of yore, did not fall under the classification of SC or ST as they belonged to the “chaste” Hindu caste and were an advanced community in Manipur. When the tribes were classified as ST and the inhabitants of a few Meitei villages as SC of Manipur, the Meiteis did not oppose to the classification and neither did they demand or assert their inclusion as ST or SC since they were proud to be the chaste Hindu caste. The question of Meiteis claiming to be ST did not arise at that time as they were looking down on the tribes as impure and called them ‘Haos’ in a derogatory manner. To be an SC then or now was out of question.
The OBC category for Meiteis has reportedly crossed more than 90% of Meitei population, providing them opportunities to vie for jobs in government/public sector and seats in higher educational institutions within the reservation of 27% for OBC. After their inclusion in the OBC list, the Meiteis have been very successful and this is evident from the fact that quite a few OBC Meiteis have become officers in the IAS, IPS and other services, which was not the case prior to reservation when they competed under the general/unreserved category. Quite a few direct recruits IAS/IPS are now in the Manipur government occupying important positions.
OBCs have relatively higher social, educational and economic standing than ST or SC. The Meitei OBC have shown their ability to compete in the Civil Services examinations under the OBC reservation quota by getting selected for appointment each year. Considering the fact that the Meiteis are performing relatively well under the OBC reservation quota, it is feared that their inclusion in the ST list will result in an uneven playing field for the current ST of Manipur, as it would enable the advanced Meitei community to grab all government posts and seats in higher education in Manipur, rendering reservation for the current ST of Manipur meaningless.
It is the view of the ST of Manipur that the demand by the Meiteis for ST status is a two pronged strategy: To deprive the current ST of Manipur of jobs in the government, public sector and seats in higher educational institutions as the more advanced Meiteis entitled to ST reserved eats will appropriate all the reserved posts for ST; at the same time, they will be able to grab land from the tribes (current ST) of Manipur as the Meiteis as ST and will be able to buy land in the Hill Areas from the tribes (current ST).
Q. The state claims that tribals are
encroaching on Reserved and protected forest. What is your response?
1. The Hill tribes have always inhabited the
hills since time immemorial, even before the formation of Manipur as a state or
India as a nation. We are indigenous to the hills which were only put together
as part of Manipur by the British.
2. The declaration of reserved and protected were not made with the informed consent of the tribals. The tribals who are the first stakeholders must first and foremost be made to understand the implications of declaring reserved forest.
3. There are ongoing lawsuits by Tribal Chiefs and Human Rights Organizations against the declaration of reserved forests. The state is bulldozing overdue constitutional procedure.
4. The Hill Area Committee (HAC) have not been
consulted regarding these declarations. This is a breach of the Hill tribals
constitutional safeguards.
Q. The state claims
that hills are hotbed of drug cartels. Is this true?
1. There are many insurgent groups in Manipur. Many of them rely on such drug
trade. Who however really profits from this? A few rich and powerful people,
some in the hills, but most of them in the valley with connections to
politicians.
2. They can catch drug peddlers in
the hills anytime when it is convenient for them. You should ask why the state
is not arresting the Kingpins.
Q. Why do you say that the Manipur Government is communal?
1. The construction and opening of Chandrakirti statue in Behiang, where a
renowned tribal chief, Raja Goukhothang Guite, was deceived by two meitei
generals. They do not respect the sacred ground and history of the people from
the hills district.
2. The imposition of section 144 CrPC
whenever the tribals mobilise to demand their rights. This law is only supposed
to be used when there is threat of violence.
- The previous SP of Churachandpur was transferred immediately after the people
demanded their rights on 10th March because he allowed them to march
peacefully.
3. When a tribal person express their counter view, opinions and dissent (granted under the Right to freedom in Article 19) against the state, s/he is arrested, but this never happens when the Meitei people from the Valley Districts of Manipur make inciting and communal comments against the ethnic minority/tribals.
4. The government servants, district employees and Job Card holders (MNREGS) are always forced into joining this or that program that has no relation with their job designation. This happened when Chandrakirti park was opened, during the Sangai festival and then again when the open gym was supposed to be inaugurated in April 2023. Those Job holders are often given Show Cause notices, get transferred or given some other punishment for not complying.
5. The Meiteis are the predominant group in Manipur wielding political and administrative power. They have also been scuttling all attempts by the tribes to get the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution extended to the Hill Areas of Manipur; stopping the Government of India and Delimitation Commission to carry out delimitation of assembly and parliamentary constituencies in Manipur, which is being postponed for the last five decades; stopping the decadal Census in some hill sub-divisions to be accepted (these sub-divisions are still using the extrapolated population figures of Census 1971), and thereby causing injustice in representation and development share for the ST; taking no action to correct the imbalance in development between the Hill Areas and valley; allowing rampant mal-administration in the Hill Areas to continue; blocking the revision of reservation ratio for ST and SC against new population figures, thereby freezing the ST share for jobs in the government, public sector and seats in higher educational institutions at the population figure level of Census 1971.
~ ITLF
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