On November 3, 2020, 18 families belonging to the indigenous Kuki tribe were evicted in M. Chahnou and SL. Gamnon villages on the order of the deputy commissioner of Tengnoupal district. They were reportedly evicted because the government needed the land for the construction of the Moreh Integrated Check Point (ICP). In the faceoff with residents, security forces hurled tear gas and smoke bombs to disperse the protesters. Some women resorted to seminude protests to resist force. Four police personnel and some protesters were injured, along with three women, who were also detained. The evictees alleged that the eviction was illegal and was carried out by the district administration without offering fair compensation and proper resettlement to the affected inhabitants. Onkhosei Baite, chief of T. Tonglhang village, told the media that there were lots of discrepancies in the compensation amount. "There are 26 households in T. Tonglhang village, and it is one of the largest affected villages, but the affected families here have received only INR 1 crore as compensation while the less affected villages have got more than INR 4 crore," he said. The district administration denied the claims and stated that all the eligible residents along the bypass road had been fairly compensated. The Moreh ICP is part of the SouthAsian road connectivity project**, *which is aimed at* **facilitating better trade relations among the South Asian countries bordering Manipur. The project is being funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). A total of 95.02 acres of land is required, of which 94.84 acres are private land. Of the total project area, almost 80 per cent of the land is either forestland, plantations, agricultural land, settlement areas, water bodies or rivers, passing through M. Chahnou, SL. Gamnon, Ng. Moulom, Lhangnom Veng, Gangte Veng, Haijang Veng, T. Yangom, New Moreh, Ward No 9, Shijang Veng, Moreh Ward No 1 and T. Tonglhang villages. Based on a full census survey, the project is estimated to affect 135 households. Of these, 18 households have already been displaced, while 117 households have lost their livelihood due to the acquisition of fertile land. The exclusion and nonprovision of compensation and adequate rehabilitation to the affected villagers violate the fundamental rights, provisions of the ADBs safeguard policies of 2009 and the provisions of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 2007. A total of 29.516 kilometres of the project road passes through the Yangoupokpi Lokchao Wildlife Sanctuary, including the ecosensitive zone and the buffer zone. Two Environmental Impact Assessments in July and August 2020 identify some key risks associated with the project, including negative impacts on wildlife, soil erosion, crossborder transmission of diseases and environmental pollution.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Complaint against procedural violations
Demand for rehabilitation
Demand for promised compensation
Refusal to give up land for the project
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Both
Forest and Non-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):
₹
281.3669651
Type of investment:
Investment Expected
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Land Acquisition Laws, Land Reform Laws, Environmental Laws, Other
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:
Forced evictions/dispossession of land
Non-payment of compensation/promised compensation
Non-rehabilitation of displaced people
Controversial land acquisition by the government
Violation of standard international laws
Violation of environmental laws
Non-implementation/violation of LARR Act
Legal Status:
In Court
Status of Case In Court
Pending
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
High Court of Manipur at Imphal
Case Number
W.P. (C) No. 673 of 2020
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Displacement
Arrest/detention/imprisonment
Lathicharge/teargas/pellets
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
Eighteen families from the Kuki tribe were evicted. In the face-off, security forces hurled tear gas and smoke bombs to disperse the protesters. Some women resorted to semi-nude protests to resist force. Four police personnel and some protesters were injured, along with three women, who were also detained.
Date of Violation
November 3, 2020
Location of Violation
M. Chahnou and SL. Gamnon villages
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
No
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
LCW emailed a few questions to Rajesh Kumar Deol, senior external relations officer of the ADB but got no response.
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
International Human Rights Association
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?
East Street Journal Asia is a multilingual, Web-based news journal. It is an independent media organisation whose goal is to make transparent, unbiased and data-driven journalism accessible to all.
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