Manipur Govt. At Play To Fuel Ongoing Conflict: It's Hatred For Kukis Lingers On

The N Biren Singh led Manipur Government’s relentless effort to engage in Thangting-Thangjing contestation smacks its prejudiced attitude against the Kukis and asserts Meitei chauvinism, which also manifests the Govt’s arbitrariness. The recent letter of the Land Resources Department (written by one Mangoljao Kamei, Under Secretary, LR) to Imphal Police Station requesting registering of FIR over the inscription of ‘Thangting’ by Kuki National Front (Military Council) at the entrance gate of the outfit’s camp entailed the deep hatred against the Kukis and the Govt’s unyielding intention to downplay, if not write off, the history of the Kukis and their rights over their land and resources.

The letter, quoting the Manipur Government’s Forest, Environment & Climate Change Department’s order, stated that the present day ‘Thangjing Hill range’ falls within the Churachandpur-Khoupum Protected Forests which was notified on Sept 17, 1966 under Section 29 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927. Clearly, the Land Resources Department is unaware or feigns knowledge of the exclusion of the hill range from the Churachandpur- Khoupum Protected Forests. The fact of the matter is that the entire hill range in Churachandpur district falls within the land owned by Thenkhomang Haokip, Chief of Ukha-Loikhai, to whom the proprietary rights over the land are vested as the village is duly established under the provisions of the Manipur (Village Authority in Hill Area) Act, 1956. The Ukha Loikhai, which is in Haokip Open Reserve, has been paying Hill House Tax and in existence for many years.

In 1971, the Government attempted to include Ukha- Loikhai village area in the proposed Churachandpur- Khoupum Protected Forest. However, following an objection from the Chief of Ukha Loikhai, the Court of Forest Settlement Officer, Manipur had excluded the aforementioned areas in the proposed Churachandpur-Khoupum Protected  Forest citing that “the Villagers had been occupying and possessing the Village for long years and they had established their right of existence over it.” (Vide Order of Forest Settlement Officer, Manipur vice Objection Case No. 322 of 1971).

The Land Resources Department also mentioned that Thangjing/Thang Ching is a hill of historical importance and the Art and Culture Department, Govt of Manipur has declared it as a protected site under Section 4 of the Manipur Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archeological Sites and Remains Act, 1976. This is nothing but a manifestation of the Manipur government’s ill intention towards the Kukis and its agenda to alienate them with arbitrary and subjective decisions.

The fact is that, in 2020, the Govt  of  Manipur through Department of Art and Culture (vide their Notification No. 5/11/2008-S (AC) dated the 26thNov., 2020) proposed declaration of the Sacred Site of Ibudhou Thangjing (approx 4 hectares) in Thangjing Hill range as Protected Site. Since the proposed areas fall within the land owned by Ukha-Loikhai Chief Thenkhomang Haokip, he had on Jan 19, 2021, objected to the proposal by submitting Letter of Objection to the proposed declaration in response to the Government’s Notification bearing No. 5/11/2008-S (AC) Secretariat Art and Culture Department dated Imphal, the 26th November, 2020. The Chief had submitted a reminder to the above Letter of Objection on July 25, 2022.

In a total disregard for the facts and more importantly the letter of objection, the State Government claimed that the hill range is declared as a protected site under Section 4 of the Manipur Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archeological Sites and Remains Act, 1976 vide Gazette No 376 dated 14/11/2022. This is nothing but a total disrespect and a direct affront to the customary Kuki Chieftainship rights and in contravention of Article 371 (C) of the Indian Constitution and other Acts such as the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Right) Act, 2006 and extant land relations between the hills and valley under the MLR&LR Act, 1960. According to the Kuki worldview, a Kuki Chief has supreme authority with executive, judicial and military power. Such a chief claims the absolute ownership of the village under his jurisdiction and the land including forests within the village. For ages, the governance of Kuki country was based on traditional Chieftainship, similar to the Greek City-States with each village ruled by a Chief.

A decision subjective and arbitrary as this, which categorically disregarded the much-valued age- old traditions and of course, the letter of objection from a Kuki Chief, unmasked the communal Government’s biased and ill-intended decision towards the Kukis thereby creating enough space for distrust and animosity between the Meitei dominated Manipur Government and the Kukis. Herein independent observers may, without any further ado, conclude the cause of the ongoing Manipur State-sponsored ethnic cleansing campaign against the Kukis.

Also, the Land Resources Department’s letter posited that “the erection of the gate bearing the words Kuki National Front-Military Council with the name of the site mentioned as ‘Thangting’ indicates an unauthorized changing of the original name of ‘Thangjing (Thang Ching) which is a violation of the provision of the Manipur Names of Places Act, 2024 and Section 4 of the Manipur Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archeological Sites and Remains Act, 1976.”

This is part of the larger agenda to wipe out the Kukis and their historical positions, and dispossess them of their land by defeating them first in such ‘psychological warfare.’ The Kukis are very much aware of the sinister game plan of N Biren Singh and his gangs of sidekicks; their resolute objective of launching negative and hate campaign against the Kukis before the world even with new, unilateral legislations and archaic laws and regulations. Yet, the time is not far when the whole world will wake up to the stark reality and expose the devilish schemes of N Biren Singh and his Meitei hardliners who are never in dearth of provocative actions and speeches to protract the ongoing organized persecution of the Kukis.