Dimapur, September 22 (MExN): A separate administrative unit for five districts in Manipur is demanded for by “hill tribal people” for reasons that the rights of the hills’ people have been suppressed by the Meiteis for a very long time. This oppression will not be tolerated any longer as ‘enough is enough’ said a letter addressed to the Prime Minister of India, from ‘Separate Hill Areas Administration Committee,’ understood to be of Nagas in Manipur.
The ‘hills people’ cannot coexist with the Meiteis and only a separate administrative unit apart from the governance of Manipur will allow peace, said a copy of the representation. The five geographically contiguous “chunk” districts of Manipur state Chandel, Churachandpur, Senapati, Tamenglong and Ukhrul district should be made into a separate administrative entity, the representation demanded. It was made clear that a fight for this aspiration would continue till fulfilled.
The features to determine the formation of a separate administration out of present state of Manipur, the committee said, are linguistic and cultural homogeneity, “financial and economic consideration”, religion, “administrative considerations” and common historical traditions, “existing situation”, geographical contiguity and wishes of the indigenous people.
The committee said history is testimony that peoples of the hill areas have been suppressed since the time of the Maharajas of the Meiteis but the tribal and their lands have never been subjected to any king of the Meitei kingdoms. ‘The Lost Kingdom’ (Royal Chronicles Of Manipur) written by L. Joychandra Singh describes the historical facts of Manipur, the Meitei Kingdom right from the beginning 33 A.D. that the term “Manipur” means only the plain areas in Manipur inhabited by the Meitei people. Even the term “Manipuris” means “only Meiteis”, not the hills’ tribal people, the committee explained. “This book also tells the fact that Manipuris, being advanced in art, aggressively attacked (and still they are attacking), hill tribal people only with the objective of war booty and of capturing tribal young men and women to be used as slaves in the palace of Meitei kings, the committee said in its representation.
The committee further stated that the anthropology of Manipur clearly defines hill tribal people and the Meiteis in Manipur as two distinctively different peoples in their history, culture and traditional practices. “There is no iota of similarity between these two racial groups. Therefore, the co-existence of these two people is impossible, but they can be good neighbors in the civilized world. Since the time immemorial the Meiteis have been exploiting the Hill Tribal People in many ways which is a known fact to all that does not need any explanation,” the representation stated.
“So, how can these two people co-exist here on earth under one administrative umbrella? Since 33 A.D, the Rights of Hill Tribal People have been suppressed and oppressed by the Meiteis that cannot be tolerated any more, enough is enough.”
The representation also reiterated that economically, educationally, financially and in all the aspects of development, the hill tribal of the five districts are far behind the Meiteis. “because every fund, developmental projects and welfares coming from New Delhi (the Centre) even those specially meant for tribal people are solely utilized for the welfares of Meiteis and their dominated plain areas, measuring 2200 Sq.Km. only, as they are majority in the state legislative assembly and the heads of every department is occupied by them. The ratio of state government employees for Meiteis and hill tribal people is 100: 1,” the committee stated.
The Indian Constitution, Article No. 371-C provides rooms for the formation of a separate administration in the state of Manipur, the committee said. “Therefore, on the basis of this Constitutional Provision, Separate Hill Tribal Areas Administration out of present existing Manipur State be formed by the government of India at the earliest,” the committee said.
The government of India is asked to urgently detail a commission to look into the said demand for a separate administration to have peace in the land.