Nine Tribals Killed in Lamka Protest Against 2015 Manipur Bills

IN August 2015, the tribal people of Lamka–Churachandpur in Manipur rose in protest against three bills passed by the Manipur State Assembly: the Protection of Manipur People Bill, the Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (Seventh Amendment) Bill, and the Manipur Shops and Establishments (Second Amendment) Bill. While the government claimed the bills aimed to protect indigenous people from unchecked migration, the tribal communities—especially the Zomi, Kuki, and Naga—strongly opposed them, fearing they would undermine their land rights, cultural identity, and constitutional protections. The bills were widely seen as favouring the valley population and violating the rights of the hill tribes, who already had a long history of political and administrative neglect.

The peaceful protests soon turned violent in Churachandpur town after the bills were passed on 31 August 2015. Several government buildings were set on fire, and in the clashes that followed, nine tribal youths lost their lives.

Here are some of the photographs gathered from different sources.

By:-

K H A L V O N T A W I

--- Voice of the Voiceless ---

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Candlelight vigil observes in memory of departed souls

NEW DELHI, SEPT 4, 2015: In memory of the departed souls, the Manipur Tribals Forum Delhi held a candlelight vigil and condolence meeting was held in JNU on Thursday evening. Hundreds of tribal students, social activists and  research scholars pay tributes to the departed souls.

On the ongoing grave crisis gripping the tribal areas of Manipur, the Manipur Tribals Forum, Delhi stated that on August 31, 2015, the Manipur Assembly passed three bills following sustained protests in the Manipur valley districts demanding the implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) system for the State. 

The three bills, taken together, will directly undermine the existing safeguards for the tribal ‘hill areas’ regarding land-ownership and population influx as the primary threat for the tribal people comes not from outside the state but the valley Meitei people itself. The tribal people have made their opposition to the Meitei demands clear. But, the tribal people were never consulted by the ‘Joint Committee’ which have been spearheading the demands, nor the Manipur Government which accepts them. The tribal MLAs in the Assembly, fearing for their lives, dare not oppose the Bills when the Bills were introduced and passed in the Assembly.

The Hill Areas Committee (HAC), comprising of all tribal MLAs, which was set up under Article 371C of the Constitution to protect tribal interests and whose concurrence is mandatory for all legislation affecting tribal areas, was summarily brushed aside. 

In response, some tribal bodies organized protests which soon went out of control. Government sent in the so-called Manipur Police Commandos, who are well known for their communal antipathy towards the tribals. More than eight tribal people have died, and more than 50 injured.

The Forum condemn the highhanded and deeply biased manner in which the Manipur Government responded to the protests. While the Manipur police uses rubber bullets for the valley protesters, live bullets were freely used for tribal protesters. Of course, this is not the first time such visible partiality is exhibited by the state police commandos.  Ukhrul (2014), Mao Gate in Senapati District (2010) and Moreh (2007), among others, have all experienced such partiality in the past and protested against it. We demand that the State Police Commandos be immediately withdrawn from tribal areas and central forces deployed, if need be, the statement added.

~ BRUCE K. THANGKHAL

(The Mizoram Post | Manipur Chronicle | Zogam Today)

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Manipur Tribals Forum Delhi request PM for immediate intervention

To,                                                                                                                    New Delhi, Dated 2^nd September, 2015

The Hon’ble Prime Minister,                                  

Government of India

  

Subject:   Request for immediate intervention on the atrocities perpetrated on the tribal people in Manipur.

                                                

Hon’ble Sir,

 

The Manipur Tribals Forum, Delhi like to bring the following facts for your kind perusal and necessary action.

 

1.  That, on 31 August, 2015, the Manipur Assembly passed three bills following sustained protests in the Manipur valley districts demanding the implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) system for the State. The three bills, taken together, will directly undermine the existing safeguards for the tribal ‘hill areas’ regarding land-ownership and population influx as the primary threat for the tribal people comes not from outside the state but the valley Meitei people itself. The tribal people have made their opposition to the Meitei demands clear. But, the tribal people were never consulted by the ‘Joint Committee’ which have been spearheading the demands, nor the Manipur Government which accepts them. The tribal MLAs in the Assembly, fearing for their lives, dare not oppose the Bills when the Bills were introduced and passed in the Assembly.

 

2. That, the Hill Areas Committee (HAC), comprising of all tribal MLAs, which was set up under Article 371C of the Constitution to protect tribal interests and whose concurrence is mandatory for all legislation affecting tribal areas, was summarily brushed aside.

 

3. That, this instance has sparked off a strong opposition from all the tribal people of Manipur across the state. It flared up emotion into violent reaction against their representative tribal MLAs. The state government, instead of explaining the contents of the amendment and pacifying the agitators used its naked forces to suppress the tribals causing widespread atrocities, untold miseries, and uncontrolled human rights violation across the hills.

 

4. That, the brutal reaction of the state forces against the peaceful mass agitation has caused the loss of precious lives of eight people and several number of the agitators were left with serious injury. In a clear case of daylight repression the state forces used real bullets to disperse the protesters. Your Honour might have seen various reports in the national media and social media networks testifying to the brutality of the state forces in dealing with the situation.

 

5. That, the incident of passing the Bill and its brutal suppression of the tribal agitators, State Government has shown its real intention to grab the lands of the tribal people which has been so far protected by the Constitution of India. It also shows a clear case of the present Ibobi government’s incompetency to govern the state.

 

We, the Manipur Tribals Forum, Delhi, therefore demand from the Government of India:

i.                     To immediately impose President’s Rule in Manipur

ii.                   To punish those state security forces involved in the brutal killing of the agitators.

iii.                 To immediately withdraw the Manipur Police commandos from all tribal areas and if need be, deploy central forces.

iv.                 Restoration of all villages transferred to valley district to their original hill districts.

v.                   To expeditiously act on the demands for ‘separate administration’ for the tribal areas of Manipur. This is a proof, if any more are needed, that the hill tribals and the plain Meiteis cannot live together under one administration.

 

Yours Sincerely,

 

On behalf of the Manipur Tribals Forum, Delhi

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Tribal students call emergency meeting in Delhi

NEW DELHI/CCPUR, SEPT 01, 2015: The incident which broke out in Churachandpur on August 31 led to emergency meeting of Delhi-based tribal students’ organization of Manipur in JNU late night on August 31. Leaders and members of the Kuki Students Organisation, Zomi Students Federation and Hmar Students Association attended the meeting. The meeting resolved to hold a peace rally in New Delhi on September 2.

The protestors who agitated over the passing of three Bills – The Protection of Manipur Peoples Bill 2015, the Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (Seventh Amendment) Bill 2015 and the Manipur Shops and Establishments (Second Amendment) Bill 2015 –  set a blazed the houses of all MLAs from the district.

During the agitation, police shot dead three persons, source said. The deceased have been identified as Thangzalian (20) s/o Vungching of Hiangtam Lamk, H. Paulianmang (23) S/o (L) H. Thianlal of Dorcas Veng and Pausuanlian (19) s/o Zenkhanching of New Lamka Vengnuam.

House of Thangso Baite, MP (Outer), Phungzathang Tonsing, Health Minister, TN Haokip MLA/Saikot AC, Chaltonlien Amos,  MLA/Tipaimukh, Vungzagin Valte, MLA/Thanlon, Manga Vaiphei, MLA/ Henglep, and GS Haopu, MLA/Singngat were burnt down by the angry mob on the night August 31.

KNO, ZRO, HPC (D), Zomi Council, Kuki Inpi Churachandpur, Hmar Inpui, Mizo People Council, Gangte Tribe Union, Hmar Youth Association, Kuki Khanglai Lompi, Zomi Youth Association, Young Mizo Association, KSO Churachandpur, Hmar Student Association, YMA, CoPTAM, KSDC held an emergency meeting in Lamka on September 1.

“We have been targeted with neglect and discrimination. All funds meant for our development have either been diverted or misappropriated by the Meitei majority and their clones,” said PS Haokip, Presdient, Kuki National Organisation in his speech.

He added, “For all these years, we have suffered injustice and now it has become intolerable. Not satisfied with depriving us of our developmental rights, they are now planning to snatch our land by calling us foreigners”.

“They arbitrarily have passed a bill which will uproot those of us whose villages were not in their records since 1951. I am telling them today, and I want us to tell them that we don't need them to record that we lived in our lands much before their government intruded onto our lands,” stated PS Haokip.

So far seven persons have been killed by the police, sources confirmed. Still tension grips in Churachandpur, after the tribals protested the passing of three bills which have impinged the rights of the tribal people. Delhi-based tribal students of Manipur scheduled to have another round of meeting on Tuesday evening.

~ BRUCE K. THANGKHAL

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