JIRIBAM, April 12: Residents of Boroikhal in Jiribam sub division led by Hilghat GP ward no 1 member Ngariyanbam (o) Nilabati Devi have left their homesteads behind and fled to Jiribam alleging threats from a certain ethnic group surrounding the area.
According to ex-member Ng Gopeshor Singh husband of Ngariyan (o) Nilabati Devi said in 1964 their forefathers dwelt Bangladesh formerly known as East Pakistan.
Unable to bear the acute harassment meted out by the Bangladeshis, the forefathers fled to Tripura and then to Assam, when the then chief minister of Manipur Moirangthem Koireng and the then Jiribam MLA Sinam Bijoy Singh set up refugee settlements for those Manipuris fleeing from Bangladesh at Boroikhal, Sabhughat and Babukhal areas in Jiribam, he said.
Now we are being hounded by this certain ethnic group, he said and added that even when they cut trees from their areas, the tribes who form the majority in the area threatened them from cutting trees from their areas.
The ethnic group have even threatened every household to pay taxes, and sometimes they are made to carrying loads for the tribes, he said.
In the past, due to the presence of security personnel in the area, there were no such threats, he said.
Now that the security forces have been called off from the area, the tribals are taking advantage and harassing us, he lamented.
Gopeshor also said that Sabughat which falls under Jiribam sub-division, they have put up a signboard reading “Emmanuel Baptist Church, Keiphundai Village Part II, Tousem sub-division, Tamenglong.
He appealed to the CSOs of the state and the government to look into the issue before it snowballs into a major issue.