An incident of collecting firewood blew up into a major row of border dispute between Khezakeno village in Nagaland and Tungjoy village in Manipur.
A group of 150 to 200 residents of Khezhakeno village had gone to Kahuzo forest on February 12, 2021, to gather firewood. The forest area is disputed as both the states claim territorial jurisdiction over it – a part of the forest falls in Tungjoy and the other half falls in Khezakeno. When a police official from Manipur reached the spot and tried to stop the group from chopping trees, they did not pay heed. In retaliation, about 500 people from Tungjoy went to the forest on the Nagaland side on February 15 and started chopping trees for firewood. A dobashi (government official) from Khezakeno went to the spot along with police officers to mediate, but the group overpowered them and reportedly abducted and manhandled the dobashi. He was released later at night.
The Khezakeno Village Council (KVC) claimed that the dobashi was ‘kidnapped and assaulted at gunpoint’. It issued a press release condemning the ‘criminal act’. The KVC also stated that the dobashi was punched and kicked and that his medical examination revealed physical torture.
“We suspect that the intruders came with an intention to grab/encroach our demarcated land,” the press release stated. The KVC alleged that the abduction was not the first instance of ‘criminal activity’ by Tungjoy residents and that they were responsible for burning down traditional huts during the Khezakeno People’s Festival in 2018 and 2019. The Tungjoy Village Authority Council and Tungjoy Youth and Students Organisation have reportedly denied the allegations of abduction.
Meanwhile, the KVC highlighted the Watershed Principles of the state boundary demarcation as determined in a survey in 1872 by Captain Butler and Dr. Gordon of the erstwhile British administration. The chief secretaries of the two states had reaffirmed in 1982 that the state boundary determined in 1872 was ‘final and inalienable’.
Following the incident, Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister Y. Patton visited the conflict site to take stock of the situation. He assured the people that he would take up the issue of the land dispute with his Manipur counterpart and aim to settle the matter amicably.
Vithwel Kweho, Extra Assistant Commissioner of Khezhakeno village, told LCW that the conflict has not been settled yet. "The governments of both Nagaland and Manipur are presently abiding by the agreement signed between the two states in 1982. The primary problem is the watershed line along Chida demarcated by the Britishers, which separates Nagaland and Manipur," he said, adding that the extent of the line is differently interpreted by Tungjoy and Khezhakeno villages.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand for legal recognition of land rights
Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand to resolve the border dispute
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Common
Forest
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
Type of investment:
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Lack of legal protection over land rights
Land record discrepancies
Legal Status:
Out of Court
Status of Case In Court
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
No
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Case Number
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Other harassment
Physical attack
Torture
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Yes
Reported Details of the Violation:
A government employee (dobashi) was reportedly manhandled and abducted at gunpoint when he visited the disputed area and attempted to mediate the conflict.
Date of Violation
February 14, 2021
Location of Violation
Khezhakeno village
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Superintendent of Phek; Senapati district administration
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
No
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Khezhakeno Village Council, Chakhesang Youth Front, Tungjoy Village Authority Council, Tungjoy Youth and Students Organisation
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
Emilo is pursuing her PhD in Political Science at the North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong. Her primary research areas include human and land rights and gender issues.
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