Lamka, 03 May, 2023 – All Tribal Students’
Union, Manipur (ATSUM) organised Tribal Solidarity March today in all over the
tribal areas/districts in Manipur.
In Churachandpur district, the march started at Lamka Public Ground by 10
am and ended peacefully at Tuibuang Peace Ground by 1 pm, covering a distance of
2 kms approximately. Around one lakh
people participated in the march.
ATSUM want to spread a message to the Centre Government not to include
MEITEI in ST list. ATSUM want the High Court of Manipur appeals should be null
and void.
The Manipur High Court’s Acting Chief Justice, MV Muralidaran, on 27 March 2023 passed an order directing the Manipur State government to consider including the Meitei community in the list of Scheduled Tribes.
The order sparked strong resentment among the tribal communities of Manipur, prompting them to hold a Tribal Solidarity March across all the hill districts of Manipur.
Protestors displayed banners like “Our land, Our Rights”, “Stop Tribal Land
Grabbing”, “How can a Community with two-third seats in the Assembly demand ST
status”, “Stop Atrocities on Tribal People”, “Come Let us Reason Together”,
etc.
~ KHALVONTAWI MEDIA | Lamka | 03.05.2023
------------------------
Q. Why are YOU
protesting on the streets today?
1. The communal demand for ST status by the
dominant meitei community and unlawful recommendation by Manipur Highcourt. Currently,
the Meiteis cannot buy land from the ST in the Hill Areas as the tribal land in
the Hill Areas is protected by Article 371C of the Constitution and its
accompanying notifications. This is one of the reasons why the demand of the
Meiteis, to be ST and avail the 7.5% quota when they are already enjoying 27%
under the OBC quota, is being viewed with suspicion by the current ST of
Manipur.
2. The declaration
of tribal lands as Reserved and protected forest without the informed consent
of the Hill tribals.
3. The abuse of government
machinery by elected leaders to coerce the masses to fulfill communal purposes.
4. Prolonged and
perennial state-sponsored tactics and laws surreptitiously designed to grab
tribal lands. Most recent example will be the infamous 3 bills unrest in 2015. The
tribal-hill district erupted on August 31, 2015, after the state legislature
passed the Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015, and two amendments: The
Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (7th Amendment) Bill and the Manipur
Shops and Establishments (2nd Amendment) Bill.
5. Systematic
discrimination and alienation of the tribals by the dominant community of
Manipur – the Meiteis. The reality is that the Meiteis are wealthier, wield
both political and administrative power, have higher population than all tribes
combined in Manipur, have 40 members of Legislative Assembly in a house of 60
members; have 8 ministers, including the CM, in a Cabinet of 12; have more
professionals like doctors, professors and engineers and occupy most of the important
posts in the State, and hence, are in a very commanding position. All
universities, high standard schools, national-level institutes, medical
colleges, state-level hospitals, businesses, major infrastructure like markets,
airport, railway station are located in the Imphal valley. Under such
circumstances, the Meiteis have already enjoyed an unassailable upper hand and
the tribals are suppressed in every sphere of life. The demand of the Meiteis,
if conceded, would mean that the current ST would have to compete with the
Meiteis for the ST reserved posts in the State. Needless to say all ST benefits
in the State will be taken by the Meiteis as the current ST will not be able to
compete with the advanced ST Meiteis.
6. There is an
imminent risk that any attempt to give the Meiteis ST status will upset the
prevailing social, economic, political and peaceful communal situation for the
worst. It could lead to a situation where the ST of Manipur will feel helpless,
forcing them to fight for their survival as they sense that they will soon be
losing their share of jobs, seats and land to the dominant community if they
get the ST status.
Q. Why do you oppose Meitei demand for ST
status?
1. If the meitei dominant community is
granted a ST recognition, the Constitutional provision of Article 371 C that
safeguards the interest of the present scheduled tribes can be rendered null
and void. The category of ‘Scheduled Tribe’ meant to safeguard the hills tribals
from the dominant community will be rendered useless.
2. All the
constitutional provisions which are meant to safeguard the tribals from the
dominant meitei community will be rendered useless. This includes - The Hill
Areas Committee order 1972, the Manipur Land Reform and Land Revenue Act 1960,
the Manipur Hill Areas Village Authorities Act 1956, the Manipur Hill areas
District Councils Act 1971.
3. When different
societies in India were classified under Article 341 and Article 342 as
Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), respectively, after it became
a Republic, the Meitei community, who are regarded as descendants of yore, did
not fall under the classification of SC or ST as they belonged to the “chaste”
Hindu caste and were an advanced community in Manipur. When the tribes were
classified as ST and the inhabitants of a few Meitei villages as SC of Manipur,
the Meiteis did not oppose to the classification and neither did they demand or
assert their inclusion as ST or SC since they were proud to be the chaste Hindu
caste. The question of Meiteis claiming to be ST did not arise at that time as
they were looking down on the tribes as impure and called them ‘Haos’ in a
derogatory manner. To be an SC then or now was out of question.
The OBC category for Meiteis has
reportedly crossed more than 90% of Meitei population, providing them
opportunities to vie for jobs in government/public sector and seats in higher
educational institutions within the reservation of 27% for OBC. After their inclusion
in the OBC list, the Meiteis have been very successful and this is evident from
the fact that quite a few OBC Meiteis have become officers in the IAS, IPS and
other services, which was not the case prior to reservation when they competed
under the general/unreserved category. Quite a few direct recruits IAS/IPS are
now in the Manipur government occupying important positions.
OBCs have relatively higher social,
educational and economic standing than ST or SC. The Meitei OBC have shown
their ability to compete in the Civil Services examinations under the OBC
reservation quota by getting selected for appointment each year. Considering
the fact that the Meiteis are performing relatively well under the OBC
reservation quota, it is feared that their inclusion in the ST list will result
in an uneven playing field for the current ST of Manipur, as it would enable
the advanced Meitei community to grab all government posts and seats in higher
education in Manipur, rendering reservation for the current ST of Manipur
meaningless.
It is the view of the ST of Manipur
that the demand by the Meiteis for ST status is a two pronged strategy: To
deprive the current ST of Manipur of jobs in the government, public sector and
seats in higher educational institutions as the more advanced Meiteis entitled
to ST reserved eats will appropriate all the reserved posts for ST; at the same
time, they will be able to grab land from the tribes (current ST) of Manipur as
the Meiteis as ST and will be able to buy land in the Hill Areas from the
tribes (current ST).
Q. The state claims that tribals are
encroaching on Reserved and protected forest. What is your response?
1. The Hill tribes have always inhabited the
hills since time immemorial, even before the formation of Manipur as a state or
India as a nation. We are indigenous to the hills which were only put together
as part of Manipur by the British.
2. The declaration
of reserved and protected were not made with the informed consent of the
tribals. The tribals who are the first stakeholders must first and foremost be
made to understand the implications of declaring reserved forest.
3. There are ongoing
lawsuits by Tribal Chiefs and Human Rights Organizations against the
declaration of reserved forests. The state is bulldozing overdue constitutional
procedure.
4. The Hill Area Committee (HAC) have not been
consulted regarding these declarations. This is a breach of the Hill tribals
constitutional safeguards.
Q. The state claims
that hills are hotbed of drug cartels. Is this true?
1. There are many insurgent groups in Manipur. Many of them rely on such drug
trade. Who however really profits from this? A few rich and powerful people,
some in the hills, but most of them in the valley with connections to
politicians.
2. They can catch drug peddlers in
the hills anytime when it is convenient for them. You should ask why the state
is not arresting the Kingpins.
Q. Why do you say that the Manipur Government is communal?
1. The construction and opening of Chandrakirti statue in Behiang, where a
renowned tribal chief, Raja Goukhothang Guite, was deceived by two meitei
generals. They do not respect the sacred ground and history of the people from
the hills district.
2. The imposition of section 144 CrPC
whenever the tribals mobilise to demand their rights. This law is only supposed
to be used when there is threat of violence.
- The previous SP of Churachandpur was transferred immediately after the people
demanded their rights on 10th March because he allowed them to march
peacefully.
3. When a tribal person express their
counter view, opinions and dissent (granted under the Right to freedom in
Article 19) against the state, s/he is arrested, but this never happens when
the Meitei people from the Valley Districts of Manipur make inciting and communal
comments against the ethnic minority/tribals.
4. The government servants, district
employees and Job Card holders (MNREGS) are always forced into joining this or
that program that has no relation with their job designation. This happened
when Chandrakirti park was opened, during the Sangai festival and then again
when the open gym was supposed to be inaugurated in April 2023. Those Job
holders are often given Show Cause notices, get transferred or given some other
punishment for not complying.
5. The Meiteis are the predominant
group in Manipur wielding political and administrative power. They have also
been scuttling all attempts by the tribes to get the Sixth Schedule of the
Constitution extended to the Hill Areas of Manipur; stopping the Government of
India and Delimitation Commission to carry out delimitation of assembly and
parliamentary constituencies in Manipur, which is being postponed for the last
five decades; stopping the decadal Census in some hill sub-divisions to be
accepted (these sub-divisions are still using the extrapolated population
figures of Census 1971), and thereby causing injustice in representation and
development share for the ST; taking no action to correct the imbalance in
development between the Hill Areas and valley; allowing rampant
mal-administration in the Hill Areas to continue; blocking the revision of
reservation ratio for ST and SC against new population figures, thereby
freezing the ST share for jobs in the government, public sector and seats in
higher educational institutions at the population figure level of Census 1971.
~ ITLF
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