The Rongmei Naga Youth Organisation Manipur (RNYOM) on Friday directed all Kom people to leave from “Rongmei jurisdiction” within 48 hours.
In a statement issued by RNYOM president Richard Kamei and general secretary AG Jonah stated that with reference to a release issued by Ichum Kom Keirap Village Authority earlier on Tuesday, RNYOM is compelled to refute the false claims made by the Village Authority, that 40 plus four wheelers borne Rongmei youths attempted to infiltrate the village to forcefully erect a Monolith.
This is a totally baseless and unfounded allegation because 200 plus Rongmei youths, if ever made the attempt, could have easily overpowered the Kom villagers, but the peace loving Rongmei people preferred to maintain inter-communal harmony and peaceful co-existence, it stated.
Allegations of the abduction of one villager are untrue, as the individual was taken into custody for his safety by the womenfolk of the Rongmei Tribe to avoid any kind of untoward incident which may trigger communal misunderstanding, it stated.
That was the reason why the man was later handed over to the Police Station concerned on humanitarian grounds, it added.
The other claim made in a release regarding the historical account of their settlement was also completely baseless because the Kabui (Rongmei) people have been living in this village since 16th Century AD, it mentioned.
Maharaj Bhagyachandra (1759-1761 and 1763-1798) visited the village during his reign and gave the name ‘Ichum Kabui’ as against the claim made by the Kom community that the village was established in 1871, it stated.
The Hill House Tax was paid during the British Colonial Regime by (Late) Gaijingpu (Ngangjungba) of Kabui (Rongmei) Tribe in 1894 and later by his descendants till 1993 when the minority Rongmei villagers temporarily shifted out during the Naga-Kuki ethnic clashes in 1993 while the record of the first Hill House tax reportedly paid by Kom Community was in 1939 according to the release they issued on Tuesday, it stated.
Regarding the history of how the Kom Tribe came to Ichum Kabui village, their first settlement was somewhere in 1917-18 by two Kom Households who migrated from Khabei Hamji (Eastern Burma), it stated.
It mentioned that the said two families sought permission from the Kabui (Rongmei) village chief by performing customary rituals mandatory for such incoming outsiders/foreigners’ settlement in the village.
These two Kom families offered one black shawl, one pot of wine and one pig to the Ichum Kabui village chief as per the Kabui (Rongmei) customary law and accordingly, they were given the permission to live in the village on humanitarian grounds, it added.
Considering these historical facts and circumstances, the Kabui/Rongmei Tribe has all the rights to lay claim on the ancestral land which was founded and established by our forefathers since time immemorial, it mentioned.
The Ichum Kom Village Authority also had no objection when RNCM president Ntaiphai Luangrian approached them for resettlement earlier, it stated.
It further said that the programme for erection of ‘Resettlement Monolith’ to be unveiled by the United Naga Council (UNC) president, slated to be held on Wednesday was canceled because of the blatant lies of the Kom community.
“To our utter surprise, the Kom community conspired and instigated the Central and State security forces to stop the Rongmei people from entering into our ancestral land defying the consent they had already given for resettlement of the original landowners,” it alleged.
Despite knowing and fully convinced of all the historical facts, they are fooling the security agencies with fabricated and wrong narratives, to which the RNYOM considered them as a complete betrayal by the Kom community, it stated.
“With no option left, we make the record straight i.e. the present land of Ichum Kabui/Ichum Kom/whole Ichum belongs to Kabui/Rongmei Tribe,” it added.
“We had no intention to drive out the Kom villagers from here. Let Kom people live and let Kabui/Rongmei also resettle in their ancestral land,” it stated.
“However, considering the “betrayal” by the Kom community, and in the larger interest of the Rongmei people, the RNYOM boycotts all Kom people, henceforth and direct all the Koms to leave Rongmei Jurisdiction within 48 Hours with effect from the issuance of this release until resettlement is done by the rightful owners. Kom people will be held responsible for any untoward incidents if they fail to comply with this directive,” it added.
