Kohima: In a longstanding dispute over traditional land ownership between the Southern Angamis of Nagaland, and the Maram and Mao Naga communities in Manipur, tensions have escalated with recent developments along the Dzukou valley stretch of the inter-state border.
Independent MLA, Kevipodi Sophie, who was also the former president of the apex body of the Southern Angamis, presented a statement on the traditional land dispute at Kezoltsa between Nagaland and Manipur, in the ongoing fourth session of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly under rule 54 (I) matter of urgent public importance.
Sophie, who had joined state politics with the land dispute as one of his key manifestos, pointed out that the ongoing dispute over Kezoltsa between the three Naga communities, persisted for several decades and continues to remain a highly sensitive and contentious issue.
He presented a detailed statement on the chronology of the issue and how the tussle has persisted even after the intervention of the Tenyimi People’s Organisation (TPO), the apex body of the Tenyimia tribes which includes both the disputing parties, Angamis and Maos among other tribes.
“The Kezoltsa is a huge biodiversity resource and the virgin forest had been under the traditional ownership and protection of the Southern Angamis since time immemorial,” Sophie said.
He narrated that the Southern Angamis had constructed a rest house to monitor, protect and preserve the flora and fauna of the Kezoltsa, however, volunteers from Songsong village of Manipur destroyed the rest house. This matter, placed in the court of the Tenyimi Central Union (TCU), rechristened as Tenyimi People’s Organisation (TPO), on 14th Feb, 2001 passed a judgement staing, “The destroyed rest house should be re-constructed to its original shape by Songsong Village within 20 days”.
He said that the Manipur government, as per the Mao Council memorandum dated 23rd April 2015, “illegally encroached and forcefully occupied Kezoltsa” and deployed armed security forces besides carrying out massive permanent development activities.
Sophie further narrated that following the 29th December 2020 inferno at Dzükou, on the pretext of dousing the fire, the Mao Council along with the Government of Manipur and its security personnel constructed roads, installed electrification and built permanent Security Station by way of forceful occupation and imposition of CrPC 144.
On 13th March 2021, the TPO and Board of Arbitrators (BOA) met the Chief Minister of Manipur N Biren Singh and apprised him of the prevailing situation at Kezoltsa. The Chief Minister immediately directed Naga minister L Dikho to immediately cease work and to withdraw all security personnel so as to allow TPO and BOA to adjudicate the matter on customary laws and practices.
“However, on 15th October 2021, the reconstructed rest house was again demolished by the Mao Council and the Manipur Government Security Forces. It demonstrated lack of sincerity on the part of Manipur Government,” he said.
Furthermore, the Manipur Government imposed CrPC 144 since 11th February 2021 till date. On 19th October 2022, TPO along with nine frontal units of TPO who had gone to reconstruct the SAPO rest house was denied entry into Kezoltsa by the Manipur Security Personnel citing CrPC 144.
“Despite the intervention of the TPO and the BOA, the matter failed to reach an acceptable resolution of the dispute. The TPO court’s verdict of 19th December 2022 was rejected by all the contesting parties as it failed to deliver justice based on traditional and customary practices,” Sophie said.
The first time legislator said that the imposition of restrictions on movement through CrPc 144 and fencing with barbed wire along the arbitrary political boundary between the two states remains unprecedented.
He also pointed out that depite the Chief Minister of Nagaland’s appeal to his Manipur counterpart through an official communiqué dated 8th January 2021 to resolve the issue through amicable dialogue under Tenyimi customary law and to identify the genuine landowners, there has been no response from the Manipur State Government.
Spohie urged the State Government to determine the genuine landowners and acknowledge their traditional ownership and to resolve the issue based on traditional and customary laws.
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Responding to Sophie, deputy chief minister and minister incharge of home and border affairs, Yanthungo Patton said that the Mao Council, realising the seriousness of the issue had appealed to the manipur government to withdraw the security forces stationed at the disputed area.
“I assure of the state government’s fullest support for the protection of the traditional land of our people, and for the amicable resolution of the dispute concerning our traditional lands by our tribal bodies,” Patton said.
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