The Kuki Organization for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR), a UN-recognized body, has petitioned the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes to nullify alleged illegal land transfers by non-tribals in Manipur’s hill districts, warning of a “coordinated assault” on tribal rights.
BY PC Bureau
June 30, 2025 – The Kuki Organization for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR), a body with UN special consultative status, has petitioned the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) to nullify what it terms the “systematic and illegal” occupation and transfer of tribal lands in Manipur’s notified hill areas—specifically in Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Moreh (Tengnoupal District)—by non-tribal Meitei individuals.
In a strongly worded letter dated June 29 and officially received by the NCST on June 30, KOHUR urged the commission to immediately act against what it called an “alarming and politically motivated” campaign to dispossess Scheduled Tribe communities in the region. The organization called for a fact-finding mission to assess these violations, a halt to further encroachments, and the introduction of stronger constitutional safeguards akin to Fifth Schedule protections.
Violation of Legal Protections and Tribal Autonomy
The letter emphasizes that while Manipur is not yet a Fifth Schedule state, it does possess its own tribal land protection architecture. Citing Section 158 of the Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms Act, 1960, KOHUR highlights that no land transfer from a tribal to a non-tribal is valid without explicit permission from the Deputy Commissioner.
“These provisions clearly prohibit non-tribal individuals—including Meiteis—from acquiring or holding land in the Hill Areas without specific permission,” the letter notes. It warns that such transfers have become rampant, often facilitated by benami transactions and informal settlements.
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The letter further invokes the Manipur Legislative Assembly’s Hill Areas Committee (1972) and the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Councils Act (1971) to highlight the statutory framework that has been ignored or violated in recent years.
Encroachments in Flashpoint Districts
KOHUR identifies three districts as primary flashpoints:
- Churachandpur: Cited as a traditional tribal stronghold, this district has seen “encroachments by Meitei individuals and organizations” under the guise of informal settlement and illegal real estate activity.
- Kangpokpi: Allegedly, “strategic highway and ecological corridors” are being forcibly occupied by non-tribals.
- Moreh (Tengnoupal): Described as a “vital trade town,” it has reportedly been subjected to demographic change through the unauthorized settlement of non-tribals, including Meiteis and non-ST migrants.
KOHUR argues that in many cases, these encroachments have occurred with the “tacit support” or “deliberate inaction” of state authorities, including district officials and law enforcement agencies.
Institutional Bias and Discrimination
The rights body claims that tribal land alienation has intensified in tandem with a toxic political discourse in the valley that brands constitutional tribal protections as “special privileges.” This, they say, is part of an effort to promote cultural and demographic homogenization under the guise of development and law enforcement.
According to the complaint, state institutions have:
- Misused forest and revenue laws to evict tribal landholders;
- Targeted tribal owners while ignoring large-scale encroachments by non-tribals;
- Silenced tribal voices through legal harassment and suppression of activism.
“This is not merely sporadic violation but a coordinated and institutionalized assault on tribal constitutional rights,” the letter asserts.
Demands to NCST and Union Government
The organization has requested the NCST to:
- Investigate and Nullify Illegal Occupation: Recommend that all land transfers by non-tribals after the enactment of Section 158 be declared null and void.
- Enforce Accountability and Halt Further Encroachment: Urge the state to conduct land audits and impose an immediate moratorium on transactions involving non-tribals.
- Recommend Constitutional Safeguards: Advocate to the Union Government for an extension of Fifth Schedule-like protections to Manipur’s Hill Areas.
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Concluding the letter, KOHUR Chairman Benjamin Mate wrote, “The tribal communities of Manipur have lived with dignity, harmony, and ecological wisdom for centuries. Their survival now hangs in the balance, threatened not only by illegal occupation but by a creeping narrative of exclusion and erasure.”
He urged the NCST to act as the “constitutional guardian of tribal rights” and demanded urgent, visible intervention to protect the sanctity of land, culture, and identity in Manipur’s volatile hill regions.
