After a tumultuous agitation by the people of the state, especially those residing in the valley resulted in the state government introducing three landmark bills aimed at safeguarding the interests of the indigenous people of Manipur as per the wish of the public, a section of the people spearheaded by a couple of tribal students’ bodies reacted with amazing alacrity against the state governments’ decision, and have laid siege to the hill districts of the state. These districts which have had to endure the previous turmoil along with those of the valley, although with a reduced impact, have once again been rendered a paralytic blow with the ongoing protests. Precious lives have been lost and many more injured, and the centre is mulling over sending more special forces to contain the protestors. The points of contention, it turned out, was the apprehension that the three bills, especially the Manipur Land Revenue & Land Reforms (Seventh Amendment) Bill 2015 could be used by the majority Meiteis/Meeteis to ouster the tribal communities from their ancestral lands in the state. There however is still a cloud of confusion within the protesting groups as the main point of protest still differs with different communities. The binding factor, on the other hand is clearly the suspicious doubt being raised on the issue regarding the transfer and sale of land to non-Manipur people, the word “Non-Manipur people” being the main objection which stems from the self-made confusion that these protesting bodies have clubbed/declared themselves as Nagas who, by inference, originally belongs to the land of Nagas officially recognized by the Indian government- the state of Nagaland. What one needs to introspect on is the fact that there are innumerable Manipuris residing in various parts of the country. Will their demand for a Greater Manipur containing the contiguous Manipuri inhabited areas be deemed rational or plausible? One also needs to take into account the unrelenting fractious community politics being pursued by the different communities on the naïve public and weaker communities, often under forceful coercion and intimidation. Perhaps, the best analogy would be the feeling of a house-owner whose tenant or guest demanding the ownership of the room which was given to them on the contention that they have been occupying the same for a long time. The present problem needs to be seen in its true light. The state government announced its assurance of the Bills not infringing on the rights of the hill people who are Manipuris by any account. The state government needs to clarify on the apprehensions and suspicions of the hill people of Manipur. The Manipur people residing in the hill districts also need to exercise restraint and make efforts to separate the facts from the popular misconceptions before drawing up conclusions. Anybody or group should not indulge in spreading of seditious rumors and misinformation to shore up opinions and fractious feelings. Without communication and understanding, everybody loses out in the long run.
