NNN/Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Apr 10: The second round of talks between Joint Action Committee Against Anti-Tribal Bills (JAC-AATB) and Manipur Government here ended without any apparent breakthrough with no date set for a later meeting.
The talks between the Joint Action Committee Against Anti-Tribal Bills and the Government held at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat lasted for nearly three hours.
“The talks ended with no major breakthrough on the JAC’s charter of demands,” sources said which added that uncertainty prevails over the next round of meeting between the JAC and Manipur Government.
Talking to The Sangai Express a well placed source said that the point of disagreement centred around the demand put forth by the JAC that a new district be created, christened Lamka and proposed that the new district be created by carving out territories from the existing Churachandpur district and the newly created Pherzawl district.
A reliable source said that some of the demands of the Joint Action Committee Against Anti-Tribal Bills are “Constitutional safeguard of the tribal territory, restoration of the MLR and LR Act of 1960 to its original status and justice for the martyrs and injured”.
A 13-member delegation of the JAC took part in the meeting in which the State Government was represented by the Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues along with Chief Secretary Oinam Nabakishore Singh and DGP of Manipur police LM Khaute.
“The talks ended without an agreement,” a JAC leader told journalists after coming out of the meeting hall, who refused to comment further. The first round of meeting between the two sides was held on April 7.
On August 31, 2015, the Manipur Assembly passed three Bills which became contentious since then. The tribal people have termed the bills ‘anti-tribal.” Nine protesters were killed and many injured when violence broke out in Churachandpur district following passing of the Bills.
Of the nine bodies, eight are still lying unclaimed at Churachandpur district hospital mortuary as the deadlock has persisted over the issue including burial of the bodies.
“If the State Government feels it is necessary to hold talks further they will invite us,” was the comment of a JAC leader.
Source: The Sangai Express
