Thee Zeliangrong Naga groups say the order undermines traditional landholding systems and violates Article 371C and the Hill Areas Committee Order of 1972.
BY PC Bureau
October 6, 2025: A coalition of Zeliangrong Naga Civil Organisations (ZNCOs) from Tamenglong have strongly condemned the Manipur government’s September 18, 2025 notification issued by the Land Resources Department on the procedure for the sale, purchase, and registration of land.
The organisation which have issued a joint statement oin the issue are: including the Inpui Naga Union (Tamenglong Zone) [INU-TZ], Liangmai Naga Council (Tamenglong Zone) [LNCM-TZ], Rongmei Naga Council Manipur (Tamenglong Level) [RNCM-TL], Zeme Naga Council Manipur [ZNCM], Joint Tribes Women Association (Tamenglong Zone) [JTWA-TZ], Chairmen and Secretaries Association Tamenglong [CSAT], and the Village Authority Chairman Council [VACC]
In a unanimous resolution, the organisations termed the order a “direct assault on the constitutional rights and traditional landholding systems” of the tribal communities in Manipur’s Hill Areas. They asserted that the attempt to enforce a uniform land revenue system “blatantly contravenes the protections guaranteed under Article 371C of the Indian Constitution and the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) Order of 1972.”
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The Zeliangrong bodies emphasized that tribal lands in the Hill Areas are governed by long-standing customary laws, with ownership vested in individuals, clans, communities, and chiefs. The Second Schedule of the Manipur Legislative Assembly (Hill Areas Committee) Order, 1972, they said, clearly places land-related matters in the Hill Areas under the exclusive purview of the HAC.
Calling the notification “unconstitutional and illegal,” the Tamenglong organisations accused the state government of bypassing the Hill Areas Committee and disregarding the distinct socio-cultural and land tenure systems of tribal people. “This move undermines the very fabric of our society and paves the way for the dispossession of tribal lands and the erosion of our identity,” they stated.
The coalition’s statement aligns with the resolution adopted by the United Naga Council (UNC) on September 25, 2025, which had already urged the Manipur government to immediately withdraw the same notification. The UNC resolution, submitted to the Governor of Manipur, warned that the order violates Article 371C, infringes upon the authority of the Hill Areas Committee, and threatens the collective rights of the hill tribes over their ancestral land. The UNC had also called on all tribal organisations and civil bodies to resist any attempt to centralise land ownership and administration under the state government.
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Expressing solidarity with the UNC’s position, the Zeliangrong Naga Civil Organisations reaffirmed their commitment to jointly oppose the “draconian” order and to defend the constitutional and customary land rights of the hill people.
They cautioned that implementing the notification without due regard for constitutional safeguards and tribal land rights could provoke “serious social unrest, instability, and conflict” across the state.
The organisations demanded the immediate cancellation of the September 18 notification and urged the state government to honour Article 371C and the HAC Order of 1972. They further insisted that no land-related policy be introduced without prior consultation and explicit consent of the tribal communities through their constituted bodies.
Finally, the Tamenglong organisations appealed to the Governor of Manipur to intervene urgently to safeguard tribal rights and ensure peace and harmony in the state.
