IMPHAL, June 3: Considering the current political and social environment in the state against the backdrop of the passing of the three bills in the Assembly on August 31 last year, the Thadou Students’ Association–General Headquarters (TSA-GHQ) has reasserted its stance on the issue and spelled out the reasons in detail.
In a press statement, the students’ body shared the concern of Inner Line Permit System (ILPS) supporters regarding the alarmingly fast growing state’s demographic imbalance which indeed presents a grim situation and threatens the interests of the indigenous people of the state both in the valley and hills.
It also expressed serious concerns regarding some of the clauses contained in the three bills that will potentially impinge upon tribal rights over their identity and land and their interests severely undermined once the bills are enacted to become law and implemented.
For example, clause 2 (b) of the Protection of Manipur People Bill defines “Manipur People” as “Persons of Manipur whose names are in the National Register of Citizens, 1951, Census Report 1951 and Village Directory of 1951 and their descendants who have contributed collective social, cultural and economic life of Manipur.”
Given the poor administrative and recording systems due to various reasons in the hills during the year 1951 which is only four years since India’s independence and 21 years before Manipur attained statehood in 1972, and also the fact that most of the tribal were illiterate, it is most likely that the names of most of the tribal people would not have been recorded in even one of them, let alone all of them. Even if they had been recorded, their descendants proving the relationship would be difficult.
This means most of the tribal will be excluded from being “Manipur People” and treated as “outsiders” even in their own ancestral land and community. It is doubtful the tribal legislators who supported the bills would be safe either, the association pointed out.
Referring to the “Statement of Object and Reasons” in the bill referred to “Manipur” as “one of the small hill States in the North-Eastern region of India”, TSA said this has naturally led the tribal to suspect that the term “small hill” is used in reference to Manipur, which actually consists of the hills and the valley, with an intention to affect uniform land laws for the whole state of Manipur, without any exception to hill or tribal area.
The passing of the bills without duly consulting the tribal had cost nine precious tribal lives (the tribal martyrs whose dead bodies are yet to be buried) who were killed while protesting against the bills and since then the protest movements for and against the bills spearheaded by the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) and JAC Against Anti-Tribal Bills respectively have intensified on both sides, plunging the state into chaos and anarchy-like situation, it said.
TSA in the statement alleged that the state government and supporters of the bills have repeatedly tried to dispel the apprehensions held by the tribal over certain clauses by saying that the bills will not in any way affect the hill or tribal area.
However, this explanation has failed to convince the tribal because of certain reasons, such as clause 1(2) of the introduction to the Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015 which states “It shall extend to the whole of the State of Manipur”. Statement of Objects and Reasons of the bill defines Manipur (State of Manipur) as covering both the hill and valley of the State. As the bill itself clearly states, clearly the bill covers the whole of the State of Manipur, it maintained.
Clause 2 of the Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2015 provides for transfer of authority from District Commissioner to Manipur Legislative Assembly/Cabinet over sale of land in scheduled area in the hills. This essentially means that the fate of tribal land ownership or the rights of tribal over their land and resources will rest on the state or an authority dominated and controlled by the dominant community. This will enhance the power of the state government to unduly interfere in tribal affairs, the students’ body contended.
The concerns held by the tribal over the bills, and more so due to the failure of Hill Areas Committee (HAC), sanctioned under Article 371-C of the Indian constitution to provide constitutional safeguards for hill areas of Manipur, to protect tribal interests and in the absence of 6th schedule provisions, the constitutional safeguards for the tribals, in tribal or hill areas of Manipur, is genuine and most legitimate.
Hence, TSA, as also Thadou Inpi, Thadou Youth Association and Thadou Women’s Association, joining hands with other tribal organizations support the ongoing tribal movement spearheaded by JAC against anti-tribal bills and will continue to do so unwaveringly until the bills are withdrawn or unless the clauses that are against tribal interest are removed, it declared.
TSA fervently appealed to the Government of Manipur as well as the Central Government against acting under the pressure of a particular community against the wishes of others.
It also appealed to the Government of Manipur and JCILPS to either withdraw the anti-tribal bills or review and amend them such that they suit not only the interests of a particular community but of all indigenous communities of Manipur.
Should this not occur soon, we wished to urge the Central Government to intervene immediately to bring about an amicable solution and to restore normalcy in the state before it is too late, the students’ body added.