Kohima: The People’s Alliance for Peace and Progress Manipur (PAPPM) on Monday strongly condemned the alleged encroachment of Manipur’s territory by the Angami Nagas from Nagaland.
The alliance called upon the Manipur Government to take immediate and decisive action to protect the state’s borders and ancestral lands.
“This encroachment issue dates back to 2022 when Southern Angami People’s Organisation (SAPO) and Southern Angami Youth Organisation (SAYO) aggressively encroached into Manipur’s territory, claiming areas like the Koziirii forests, Dziiko, and Mt. Esii as their ancestral lands,” PAPPM said.
They alleged that the Angami tribe had issued notices to the Mao people, demanding their evacuation from these regions. “Maos in Nagaland, particularly Kohima, have faced threats and eviction notices from SAPO and the Angami Youth Organisation (AYO). Schools and colleges managed by Maos in Kohima were forced to close,” they alleged.
PAPPM narrated that despite the Mao community’s resilience in defending their ancestral land, SAPO and SAYO resorted to extreme measures, such as banning Mao people from using NH-2 for over three months (December 15, 2022, to April 2023) and subjecting them to alleged harassment, physical violence, and property damage.
According to the alliance, the Manipur Government established an IRB camp at the encroachment site to protect the state’s territories. PAPPM narrated that the Mao people filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court, leading to a directive for SAPO and SAYO to cease violating the fundamental rights of Mao citizens and to grant free access to the highway.
“While these organisations complied with the court’s direction, they continued to demand the withdrawal of Manipur security forces from the encroached sites, with the Nagaland Government remaining passive in addressing the issue,” PAPPM.
To them, the situation escalated when other Angami organisations joined SAPO and SAYO in demanding the withdrawal of Manipur security forces. They made a reference to an ultimatum dated January 20, 2024, issued by the Angami Public Organisation (APO) to the Mao Council to facilitate the withdrawal of Manipur security forces,
threatening dire consequences if the security forces were not withdrawn.
“Further, AYO joined the chorus, and on March 8, 2024, through a press release, the organisation supported the ultimatum with dire consequences,” they said.
PAPPM said that efforts by the Mao Council, along with MLA L Dikho and Outer Manipur MP Dr Lorho Pfoze, prevailed over the Manipur Chief Minister to relocate the security forces, fearing harm to the Mao people at the hands of the “aggressive” Southern Angami people.
“Chakre Chovow Union, an organisation of six Mao villages, strongly opposed the relocation of the security forces. Nevertheless, the Manipur Government succumbed and relocated its forces. This decision, however, did not resolve the underlying issues, as SAPO continued its harassment of the Mao people, issuing eviction notices and directives against them,” it said.
The PAPPM said that the Tenyimi Peoples’ Organisation (TPO) gave Manipur’s Chief
Minister a “Letter of Assurance” on March 9, 2024.
“TPO President Timikha Koza and General Secretary Kathu Rengma assured, through a letter, that if Manipur withdraws its armed forces from the disputed area (Kezoltsa/Koziirii/Kazing), TPO will take several steps to preserve the land. This includes prohibiting any development projects, protecting the forests and wildlife, stopping the collection of forest resources, banning hunting and fishing and even preventing the construction of a road leading into the forest,” PAPPM said.
As an apex body of the Angamis, Chakhesang, and other Tenyimi tribes, it acted as an
arbitrator of the dispute between the Mao Council, SAPO, and SAYO. Upon this assurance, the Manipur Government relocated its security outpost 5 kilometres from the alleged encroached site.
“On March 16, 2024, the TPO confirmed that the Mao Council had complied with the
demands of the Angami organisations. Although the Mao Council does not have the authority to give away land to Nagaland-based organisations, it did so under duress, as thousands of Maos live in Kohima and Dimapur and are undertaking thriving businesses there. Even after the Manipur Government and the Mao people responded to the demands of Angami organisations, the issue remained unresolved,” the Manipur body claimed.
PAPPM claimed that the SAPO, emboldened by the “victory”, went “trigger-happy and started harassing the Mao people further”.
The alliance cited an eviction notice issued by the SAPO on March 6, 2024, SAPO to evict the Maos living in “Angami jurisdiction” areas. PAPPM also claimed that a subsequent March 7 directive, written in the local language, was issued to SAPo volunteers to drive away Mao residents to their native villages, disallow sheltering of any Mao people, and to seek information about the whereabouts of Mao people living in Angami.
The PAPPM cited a letter written by Manipur DGP wrote to his counterpart in Nagaland on March 6, to take appropriate action on the eviction notice served by SAPO.
Among many other allegations, the PAPPM also alleged that the APO, during its meeting held on March 19, conducted aggressive searches “reminiscent of Nazi tactics against Jews”, and alleged door-to-door searches targeting Mao individuals in Kohima, intimidating them to leave their rented homes. The PAPPM also narrated incidents on how the Mao people were allegedly harassed.
“Representatives of APO, AYO, CYO, SAYO, Northern Angami Youth Organisation, and
Western Angami Youth Organisation conducted an unauthorised visit to the
Kezoltsa/Koziirii/Kazing site on March 21, 2024, as declared by the organisations. Their objective was to verify whether Manipur had completely vacated or removed its police outpost from the area. Despite Manipur relocating its police outpost 5 kilometres from the disputed site, these organisations insisted on its complete removal. They argued that the presence of the outpost could escalate tensions and lead to a blame game if any party or individual burned or destroyed the camp. Therefore, they demanded a written assurance from the Manipur Government stating that no Manipur security forces would be deployed in Koziirii. In light of these events, PAPPM strongly opposes the demands of the mentioned organisations. We assert that the Manipur Government should not entertain such demands,” PAPPM said.
PAPPM stated that the Manipur Government must communicate with the Nagaland Chief Minister to end such illegal activities. They added that the Manipur Government has the moral responsibility to deploy and establish police outposts within its territory without needing permission from other states.
“We reiterate that the legal boundary between Nagaland and Manipur was clearly defined when the two states were created. Therefore, if the Manipur Government were to comply with such demands, it would be equivalent to compromising its territorial integrity,” the PAPPM stated.
“The persecution, harassment, and banishment of the Mao people in Kohima and other Angami-dominated areas are ongoing. PAPPM is with the Mao people. We can feel the unrest in the Mao community. We also understand that the Mao people must feel abandoned by the Manipuris and their Government. Be assured that the people of Manipur collectively stand by you,” it added.
The PAPPM demanded that the Manipur Government immediately engage with the Nagaland government and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to resolve the alleged encroachment issue.
According to them, the Manipur government should urge Nagaland to take action against SAPO, SAYO, APO, and AYO for their unlawful activities. “Manipur can explore legal options, including filing FIRs or writ petitions, against these organisations and the Nagaland Government for inaction,” the PAPPM warned.
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Furthermore, the PAPPM said that the mesmerising Dziiko forests and Mount Esii, Manipur’s highest peak, are vital to their natural heritage. “Manipur’s safety and territorial integrity are paramount, and the Manipur Government must act decisively to protect its citizens and natural heritage,” it said.
Standing in solidarity with the Mao people, the PAPPM called upon all Manipuris to stand united against the alleged encroachment and demanded swift action from the Government.
Also Read | Manipur-Nagaland land dispute: Traditional land ownership at stake?