Western Sumi Hoho (WSH) said it was constrained to clarify on the repeated allegations by Peren civil society organisations on the issue of boundary demarcation between Peren district and some Sumi villages which the state government has set to put them into the newly created Chümoukedima district (erstwhile Dimapur district).
In a statement, WSH said calling Sumis as non-traditional land owners encroaching on the land belonging to Zeliangrongs, was misleading, uncalled for and very unfortunate.
It said if Sumis had migrated from Zunheboto district and “settled in the vast unsettled wild lands which once belonged to Mikirs and Kacharis, our Zeliangrong brothers must remember that majority of them settled in the present district of Peren are non-indigenous migrants who migrated from the neighbouring state of Manipur.”
WSH further said that the “Intangki Reserve was now encroached by Beisumpuikam village” and inhabited by migrants of Manipur state, claiming to be as traditional landowners while other villages like Jalukie New, Jalukie Zandi, Jalukielo, Mhaikam “were all non-indigenous settlers from Manipur state.”
The hoho said that the present Jalukie was formerly known as “Panti or Halelu” and was renamed as Jalukie only after Nagaland received statehood in 1963, prior to which Mikirs had settled there till up to the 1950s. Therefore, WSH said the question of ancestral land as claimed does not arise at all.
Further, WSH termed it as baseless and an unfounded allegation that WSH had turned down the September 2020 meeting for peaceful co-existence during a joint meeting held at Thahekhu Village on February 10, 2021. However, it said few days after the meeting, many “plantations at Khehoi village were cut down by miscreants from the Peren side.”
Despite continuous attempts made by WSH to reach out to the Peren CSOs to settle the matter, the hoho said no positive response was received from their side.
Even after this incident, WSH claimed that similar incidents had taken place including burning down of granaries and huts in the fields.
On the indefinite bandh imposed on Kiyevi village, WSH cautioned that it would not remain a mute spectator.
The hoho, however, said it was ever ready to talk by sitting across the table to sort out any misunderstanding, instead of throwing wild allegations in the press which would only lead to more animosity and bitterness among the brothers.
