Manipur incident: NESO says Govt has to take into account that indigenous communities of NE are not illegal immigrants

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaMay 3, 2023

The North East Students’ Organization (NESO) on Wednesday expressed concern over the recent incident in Manipur whereby the government of Manipur is evicting the indigenous settlers belonging to the Zo community and the violent incidents that follow.

“They were evicted on the pretext that they are settling on reserve forest whereas the fact is that these indigenous settlers have been residing in these areas for ages,” NESO chairman Samuel B Jyrwa said in a statement.  

He also reminded that the Manipur Government last month has also been trying to evict the Khasi settlers who also have been residing in those areas since time immemorial.

“The government of Manipur has to take into account that these are the indigenous communities of North East and have inhabited these lands from their forefathers and they are not illegal immigrants from Nepal or Bangladesh,” Jyrwa said.

Meanwhile, the NESO called upon its concerned constituent organizations, the All Manipur Students’ Union (AMSU) and Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) to take initiative and to coordinate between them so as to maintain calm and to 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.