DIMAPUR, MARCH 18 (MExN): The Tikhir Tribal Council, in a representation to the Chief Minister on the Tikhir-Yimchunger imbroglio, demanded immediate recognition of the Tikhir tribe saying that Shamator is purely a Tikhir village and the land for town had been donated by the Shamator villagers for the opening of an administrative headquarter to the state and not to the Yimchungers. The memorandum stated that the jurisdiction maybe solved in a year or two but demanded allotment of a separate assembly constituency to the Tikhirs as per the Indian Election Law for Schedule Tribe. Reinforcing the demand of the Tribal Council, the Tikhir Students’ Union (TSU) submitted a reminder of the appeal to the Chairman of the Delimitation Commission conveying its decision to back the decision of the TTC of a separate Assembly Constituency. The Student highlighted their grievances saying that the Tikhir “tribe” was going through a dark phase where its political rights are being gagged and the civil and human rights of the people were being violated and the only way to redress the grievances was to allot a separate constituency to the “tribe”.
The tribal council also demanded immediate issuing of the Backward Tribe certificate to the Tikhirs and allotment of quotas in the NPSC and other government jobs under backward quota, and also added the there should be additional seats allotted for the discrimination faced for so many years.
The TTC has also demanded immediate sacking of DC Tuensang, SP Tuensang, ADC Shamator and all the Officers and jawans of 3rd NAP and IRB involved in the Shamator issue “since they sided with the Yimchungers and tried their best to wipe out Tikhirs”. The council continued that except for the Assam Rifles of Shamator and Tuensang and scarce visits from a few officials, most officers including DC Tuensang never bothered to visit Shamator until after signing of the ‘ceasefire’ in January 9, 2007.
Some other demands that have been mentioned in the 10 points charter submitted by the TTC are immediate financial aid to all Tikhir victims, investigation into the death of an NAP jawan, by neutral investigation agencies, creation of VG posts at Kuisam Area with arms and henceforth for the deployment of security forces in law and order situation along tribal lines only after screening the tribe of the forces. The council has also cautioned that the failure to immediately fulfill the demands of the TTC would lead to the abolishment of the ‘ceasefire’ and resume the ‘civil war’ adding a request to the government to withdraw all the security forces so as to enable the Tikhirs and Yimchungers to wage a “fair civil war”.
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