JOWAI: Some women residents of Khliehtyrshi village in West Jaintia Hills have alleged that the Rangbah Shnong of the village Kitbok Rymbai, who is the brother of JHADC MB Rymbai, had wrongfully taken over their land in the village.
The woman, Stela Dkhar, alleged that the Rangbah Shnong, along with a group of people from the village, illegally and forcibly claimed right of ownership over her land.
On Wednesday, members of the Jaintia Students’ Union along with media persons went to the village and found that the land holding certificates issued by the JHADC Revenue department to Stela Dkhar indicate that she owns two plots of land – one located at Skum Sniang measuring 31,698 sq.mt. substantiated with LHC No. 24 issued in 1993 and another plot of land at Pahein Thwai Longdung measuring 10,702 hectares which was substantiated by Patta No. 8836 issued by the JHADC.
“Despite having all documents to prove my ownership over these properties, a group of people from the village led by the Rangbah Shnong are claiming the land for themselves,” Stela Dkhar said.
Stela’s daughter, S. Charity Dkhar, also informed that a plot of land ‘Madan Kymprup’ which was gifted by her mother to her was also being claimed by the headman and his coterie. She produced a LHC issued by the JHADC in 1997 as proof of ownership over the land measuring 8100 sq.mts.
Apart from this, another plot of land belonging to her brother, S. Lakhonty Dkhar, had also been forcibly taken over by the headmen.
The two women claimed that the headman had misused his powers and forcibly claimed the properties.
“The Rangbah Shnong and his family members including his MDC brother have been attempting to usurp the property since 2011,” Stela Dkhar informed, while recalling that in April, 2011, the Presiding Officer, Sub-ordinate District Council Court, Jowai, had passed an ad-interim injunction order restrained the headman and his people from entering into the property under suit.
Again in November, 2014, another ad-interim injunction order was passed by the same court in connection with another plot of land own by the Dkhar family.
The family claimed that the headmen and his group have acted in blatant violation of the court orders.
“Few days ago, we were working on the suited property when a group of people led by the headman illegally entered into the property owned by us and uprooted all the boundary pillars and destroyed all the demarcations dug as boundaries.
Meanwhile, another woman, Dita Phawa, also claimed that the same headman had been attempting to grab her plot of land. “I was working on my land when suddenly the headman along with his relative Pynhun Rymbai of Mukhla village came and threatened me with dire consequences,” Phawa said.
The woman had lodged a complaint with Ummulong Police in this regard on Friday last.
