Self-Proclaimed Village Chief Claim On Protected Site Fabricated, Concocted, Says Manipur Government

Kuki-Zo tribes deny Thangjing is sacred website solely of Meiteis, however each Kuki and Zo additionally declare possession

Imphal:

The Manipur authorities has intervened to place to relaxation claims and counter-claims by two tribes that the sacred Thangjing hill close to the lakeside Moirang city belongs to them.

The federal government in a strongly worded assertion, citing a number of legal guidelines, mentioned the declare by a “self-proclaimed” village chief that the hill’s possession comes beneath his chieftainship is a “fabricated and concocted one with a malafide intention to mislead most people.”

“The current-day Thangjing hill vary falls throughout the Churachandpur-Khoupum protected forests… The current-day Ukha-Loikhai settlement falls throughout the boundary of this protected forest,” the federal government mentioned within the assertion on Monday.

It mentioned an order to take away the Ukha-Loikhai settlement from the Churachandpur-Khoupum protected forests was cancelled on November 7, 2022, a matter that’s beneath investigation.

“Thangjing (Thang Ching) is a hill of historial significance due to which the federal government of Manipur had declared it as a protected website beneath Part 4 of the Manipur Historical and Historial Monuments and Archaeological Websites and Stays Act, 1976…” the federal government mentioned.

Thangjing hill, Churachandpur (backside pink circle) and Moirang (higher pink circle)

Thangjing is similar hill vary the place a big cross was put in in January, an act that was seen as destabilising within the violence-hit state, because the hill has a shrine that the residents of Moirang, 60 km from the state capital Imphal, take into account sacred and historical.

Thangjing falls beneath the Kuki-Zo-dominated Churachandpur district. Manipur’s Congress authorities in 2015 had created the Thangting sub-division (now Kangvai sub-division) within the Thangjing vary, which had then led to pressure amongst communities.

The most recent controversy began when the Zomi College students’ Federation (ZSF) in an announcement on February 15 mentioned the Thangjing hills belong to the Zo individuals, who will proceed to train their constitutional proper to faith and “will proceed to erect no matter non secular symbols their non secular fervour drives them to.”

The ZSF pointed to visuals that surfaced on social media, which it claimed confirmed “the desecration of a church at Golvajang, Moreh (sic, Khamenlok), the place Meitei militants even had the audacity to make a video contained in the church, mocking the residing god, (which) is an excessive instance of sacrilege.”

The matter, nevertheless, took a sudden flip from the ZSF’s criticism of the valley-majority Meiteis to alleged encroachment of land belonging to the “chief” of Ukha-Loikhai village.

Thenkhomang Haokip, the “self-proclaimed” village chief, refuted ZSF’s declare that the Thanjing vary belonged to the Zo tribe. He mentioned Thangjing falls beneath the jurisdiction of his chieftainship, and the “ZSF in distorting the century-long historical past of Haokip-Kuki of Ukha-Loikhai and Thangjing may be very unlucky and derogatory.”

“A sure pupil physique must respect and never intrude within the matter past historical past and traditions, and never repeat baseless Zogam/Zoland or Thangching or Thangsing within the historic Haokip reserved of a Haokip-Kuki village of Ukha-Loikhai,” the village chief mentioned in an announcement on February 16, following which the Manipur authorities sought to finish the feud by citing the state legislation that protects historical websites.

The twist would not finish right here.

Thadou Chief Questions “Self-Proclaimed” Village Chief

An influential chief of a piece of the Thadou tribe that has for many years been opposing the Kukis’ try and deliver the Thadous beneath the Kuki umbrella – to name them Thadou Kukis – informed NDTV that the “self-proclaimed” village chief’s use of the phrases Haokip-Kuki can also be deceptive.

This part of the Thadou tribe has been asking the federal government to take away the popularity of “any Kuki” as a tribe since this definition leaves the interpretation of who’s a Kuki large open to misuse – as in idea anybody may be “any Kuki tribe”, the chief informed NDTV, requesting anonymity resulting from safety causes.

“The chief of Loikhai has to show that the federal government’s declare of present-day Thangjing is flawed, and his declare of Haokip Reserved, 1907 i.e. present-day Loikhai village is right, in a court docket for readability,” the Thadou chief informed NDTV. “That is so to keep away from any confusion and claimants in future. The matter will not be even sub judice, so the federal government appears to be right this fashion,” the chief added.

Thangjing hill comes beneath Churachandpur district, and is close to Moirang, the place the massive freshwater lake Loktak is positioned

Moirang’s Meitei group had been going for pilgrimage to Thangjing hill, the house of the deity Ibudhou Thangjing. They imagine the Thangjing hill website to be at the least 2,000 years previous.

The Kuki and Zo tribes – who’re in search of a separate administration carved out of Manipur beneath the banner of Kuki-Zo tribes – name this hill vary Thangting and Thangsing, respectively.

The Kuki-Zo tribes deny the hill is completely a sacred website of the Meiteis. Ginza Vualzong, the spokesperson of the Kuki-Zo group Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Discussion board (ITLF), had denied encroachment on any sacred website of the Meitei group.

“The cross is a logo of Christianity and may be seen in all the homes of a Christian. Erecting a cross at Thangjing hill can also be a type of displaying our religion and faith. This shouldn’t be taken as one thing completed in opposition to every other faith,” Mr Vualzong had informed NDTV on February 3.

The cross was put in on January 25 regardless of a Supreme Courtroom order on December 16, 2023 that the Manipur authorities ought to guarantee all non secular buildings together with church buildings and temples are protected. The Supreme Courtroom order got here in response to vandalism of 386 non secular constructions – principally church buildings and a few temples – following the outbreak of ethnic clashes between the hill-majority Kuki-Zo tribes and the valley-majority Meiteis.

The Kuki-Zo tribes which have 10 MLAs within the 60-member Manipur meeting have been demanding a separate administration carved out of Manipur since Might 2023. They’ve cited full breakdown of belief between them and the Meiteis as one of many key causes behind their push for a separate administration. Over 180 have died within the violence, and 1000’s have been internally displaced.

For a very long time, nevertheless, Kuki rebel teams have been working for separation from Manipur. At the least 25 Kuki rebel teams have signed the tripartite suspension of operations (SoO) settlement with the Centre and the state. Beneath the SoO settlement, the insurgents are housed in designated camps. There have been allegations that full attendance at most of the SoO camps has not been noticed.