KANGPOKPI, September 7: The tribal populace in Sadar Hills have pledged to pursue their charter of demands in right earnest for themselves, for the people and for the new generation and vowed to stand firm, determined and united in Sadar Hills during a public meeting held today at Multi-Purpose Hall, SHADC, Kangpokpi.
The public meeting participated by thousands of tribal populace within Sadar Hills was organized under the aegis of Kuki Inpi Sadar Hills.
Leaders of various civil society organizations, social workers, church leaders, educationists, intellectuals, scholars and UPF leaders also attended the meeting.
The meeting gravely concurred to endorse and reiterate the decisions taken by the tribal apex bodies.
The gathering also observed a minute silence for the tribal martyrs of Churachandpur while strongly denouncing the alleged brutality of the State security force.
Several speakers in the meeting also strongly condemned in the strongest terms the government`™s tacit suspension of the GPRS mobile internet cutting off the entire State from not only the social media like facebook, whatsapp etc but also SMS service.
Many CSO leaders lamented that this amounts to curtailing the citizen`™s fundamental rights to freedom of speech and expression while asking the government to justify the immediate banning of GPRS mobile internet just a day after some violence in the hills over the passage of the three bills in the State Assembly.
When the entire valley districts were burning with violence for the past two months for demand of ILPS implementation, no such step was resorted to by the government, they alleged.
The people rued that this is nothing but another form of discrimination, another step motherly treatment towards the hill districts.
Kangpokpi Declaration made during the Sadar Hills Public Meeting said that the meeting deeply mourned the tribal martyrs who were brutally murdered by the State security force in Churachandpur on the fateful day of August 31 and September 1 while conveying heartfelt condolence and sharing sorrow and pain of the bereaved families of the deceased.
It also share the pain and suffering of the injured victims who were inflicted injuries during the alleged justifiable protest against the anti-tribal bills passed by the government in the State Assembly on August 31.
The meeting also highly deplored the alleged deliberate and sinister design of the government in attempting to forcefully invade and alienate the tribal ancestral lands.
While condemning the Hill Area Committee (HAC) and all the tribal MLAs in the strongest terms for allegedly failing to discharge their sovereign duty to protect the constitutional provisions guaranteed for the tribal people of Manipur, the meeting also strappingly decried the government for undermining the protection provision for the hill tribal under Article 371 (C) of the Indian Constitution.
A Joint Action Committee for Sadar Hills District has also been constituted unanimously with Sehjalien Gangte and Lamtinthang Haokip as its convener and co-convener respectively to coordinate and streamline the present movement headed by the tribal apex bodies.
The tribal communities of Sadar Hills also confirmed four charters of demand in the meeting.
One of the charter of demands urged President of India and Governor of Manipur to out rightly reject and nullify the three anti-tribal Bills passed by the Manipur Government which are against the constitutional provision under Article 371 (C).
Secondly, the Government of Manipur should terminate the services of those responsible for the murder of the deceased in Churachandpur.
Thirdly, The Government of India should immediately intervene to bring amicable solution to the present imbroglio in Manipur and expedite in granting Political Autonomy or Separate Hill Administration for the hill tribals of Manipur.
Lastly, all the tribal particularly the Kukis MLAs should resign immediately from their respective seats for betraying the interest of the tribal people of Manipur.