Shillong: The North East India’s Indigenous Peoples’ Human Rights Forums (NEIPHRF) comprising of Meghalaya Peoples’ Human Rights Council (MPHRC), Indigenous Womens’ Forum of Northeast India (IWFNEI), Sinlung Indigenous Peoples’ Human Rights Organization (SIPHRO), Naga Peoples’ Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR), Karbi Human Rights Watch (KHRW), Zo Indigenous Forum (ZIF) & Zomi Human Rights Foundation (ZHRF) wrote to Prime Minister, Narendra Modi to bring to his attention the violence and unconstitutional implementation of three Bills against the interest of the indigenous people of the state.
The three Bills are: The Protection of Manipur People Bill 2015, The Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (Seventh Amendment) Bill 2015, and The Manipur Shops and Establishment (Second Amendment) Bill 2015.
The Bills were passed without any prior consultation with the Hill Area Committee (HAC) despite the fact that the three bills affect the hill people both in it’s extend and application.
These groups condemn the Government of Manipur for using live bullets at the protestors and in the process killing and injuring civilians which clearly demonstrates the deliberate motive to kill.
Hence the indigenous/ tribal communities feel that it is a modus-operandi of the Manipur state forces against its indigenous/tribal people.
Therefore the Human Rights groups demand that the government of India intervene to prevent further violence and deaths by withdrawal of the Bills and to set up and enquiry to bring to book the Manipur Police Commandoes responsible for the deaths of the protestors. Further to immediately stop the militarization of Churachandpur town and other indigenous/tribal peoples’ lands in North East India.
