NESO speaks out against Zo eviction in Manipur
They are not illegal immigrants from Nepal or Bangladesh but indigenous community of NE: Jyrwa
Shillong, May 3: The North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) on Wednesday expressed concern over the violent eviction of indigenous settlers in Manipur.
NESO chairman Samuel B Jyrwa said on Wednesday that the Zo community was being evicted on the pretext that they are settling on a reserve forest “whereas the fact is that these indigenous settlers have been residing in these areas for ages”.
He also said last month, the Manipur government was trying to evict Khasi settlers residing in those areas since time immemorial.
“The Government of Manipur has to take into account that these are the indigenous communities of the North East and have inhabited these lands from their forefathers and they are not illegal immigrants from Nepal or Bangladesh,” Jyrwa said.
NESO called upon its constituent organisations — All Manipur Students’ Union, Mizo Zirlai Pawl, All Assam Students’ Union, Naga Students’ Federation, Twipra Students’ Federation, Garo Students’ Union, Khasi Students’ Union and All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union — to take initiative and coordinate between them so as to maintain calm and diffuse any communal tension.
“NESO also calls upon the different indigenous communities to maintain peace and calm and to uphold the age-old relationship that we have developed over the generations,” Jyrwa said.
Meanwhile, the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), which is also one of the constituents of NESO, reiterated the plight of the Khasi villagers in Tamenglong district of Manipur.
KSU general secretary Donald V Thabah said the encroachment of Khasi ancestral land by Bengalis and other groups continues even after Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh assured the KSU delegation in Imphal a year ago that all encroachers would be evicted.
Similarly, the Forest Department prohibits Khasis to cultivate rubber and areca nut in their own lands whereas illegal settlers continued using the Khasi fields.
“It is high time for the Government of Manipur to take initiatives to protect the Khasi villagers in the state and to ensure that they live with dignity and without any harassment from all quarters,” he added.
