Dimapur, June 6 (EMN): In the wake of the reported firing incident on May 27 involving Matikhru village in Phek district and Jessami village in Ukhrul district, Manipur, the former has vowed not to concede even an inch of their land.
Chairman of Matikhru Village Council (MVC) Masi Katiry today issued a rejoinder in response to the statement of Jessami Village Council (JVC) in which the latter had denied their involvement in the firing incident but also lectured about the reality of the past traditional boundaries and the realities of Naga issue.MVC chairman said that the case relating to firing incident on May 27 has been registered with the Meluri Police Station for which it has been appealing to speed up the pending case and deliver justice at the earliest. He said enough evidences from the place of occurrence have been collected adding witnesses are ready to testify the truth.
He said Matikhru Village Council duly acknowledged the traditional boundaries, settled way before Nagaland and Manipur got their statehood dated 21/06/1943 by CR Pawsey, the them Deputy Commissioner of Naga Hills, in connection with the political case No. 62 of 1941. He added that Matikhru village has been honouring this settlement despite successive attempts by the Jessami village to dislodge it.
While also acknowledging that peaceful co-existence as a neighbour will continue even in the years to come, it however stated that the claim of intermarriages taking place and bypassing Jessami village will not make them concede even an inch of their land.
While stating that it has well taken note of the ‘habitual encroachers’ lecturing the real owner of the land to treat with seriousness and value, Matikhru village cautioned that its past silence should not be misinterpreted and taken advantage. It said Matikhru village, though small in size, are a proud upcoming generation who take pride in what their forefathers had sacrificed for the cause of the Nagas, which itself speaks of their maturity to the knowledge and reality of the Nagas and not as claimed by the Jessami village council.
It further added that till the pending case is disposed off, Matikhru village do not intend to engage in paper war for cheap publicity of the ‘numerous outstanding notorious issues’ the Jessami villagers have been creating.
