Imphal, Dec 11: The push for separate administration has suffered a humiliating setback after Kuki village chiefs have been caught “forging” signatures of Naga village chairmen and chiefs.
The forged signatures were allegedly appended in a rejoinder Kuki chiefs sent to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) on September 12. This revelation came after 29 Naga village chiefs and chairmen shot a letter to the NCST accusing Kuki chiefs of forging signatures.
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The rejoinder allegedly read it was from ‘260 tribal village chairmen and chiefs’–a claim that has now been defaced and trashed by the 29 Naga chiefs who have now asked the Commission to reject the rejoinder.
In the letter they have sent to the Commission, the 29 Naga chiefs claimed that copied and scanned signatures of Naga village chairmen and chiefs have been found appended in the rejoinder, submitted by the Kuki chiefs to “boost” their campaign for creation of a separate administration.
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The 29 Naga villages which have accused Kuki chiefs and chairmen of forging signatures include:
- Purum Likli Village,
- Kwarok Maring Village,
- Laisak Kom,
- Kharan (T) Village,
- Heinganglok Village,
- Kaprang Village,
- Lembakhul Village,
- Leishiphung Village,
- Phunal Maring Village,
- Island Village,
- Risophung Village,
- Lishamlok Village,
- Tombi Hangbu Village,
- Laikot Phaijol Village,
- Maibung Kom,
- Laikoiching Village,
- Tuisenphai Village,
- Sandang Senba Maring,
- Laipharok Maring Village,
- Purum Khullen Village,
- Thayong Village,
- Nungkok Kom Village,
- Ngarumphung Village,
- Nungsai Chiru Village,
- Waithou Chiru Village,
- Uran Chiru Village,
- Chini-kon Village,
- Sinam Kom and
- Karpursungba Village.
The 29 village chiefs’ letter addressed to HR Meena, Research Officer, NCST said all the contents of the rejoinder from pages 1 to 150 which contain copied and scanned signatures of Naga settlers, village chiefs and chairmen should be rejected and declared null and void by the NCST.
The copied scanned signatures of Naga chiefs and village chairmen of Kangpokpi, Chandel and Churachandpur
districts have been used with a sinistrous policy by few Kuki village chairmen/chiefs in the name of tribal villages to boost their campaign for creation of separate administration “fancied as Kuki Hills”, said the 29 Naga village chiefs in the letter.
The 29 chiefs said there is no “Kuki Hills” in Manipur and there is not a shred of truth about its existence.
“The Nagas, who are the original settlers of these hill districts (Kangpokpi, Chan-del and Churachandpur) condemn and disown this sinister design of the few Kuki village chairmen/chiefs that undermines the inherent and legitimate ownership of our land and very exist-ence,” said the chiefs.
The Naga chiefs asserted “The Kukis living in the few pockets of the Naga territories in Kangpokpi, Chandel and Churachandpur districts of Manipur are immigrants who do not have inherent rights to claim the ownership of the land where they live.”
The Kukis who were illegal immigrants decades back were settled in the territories of Nagas. They cannot claim ownership of the land. Mere possession of homestead land papers do not give them the license to claim the ownership of land in the territories of the original Naga settlers. Such claim of ownership of land is condemned in the strongest terms, said the Naga Chiefs.
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(Courtesy: The Sangai Express)
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