Lamhai Village Head GB, Amezi, abrogation of the customary permission granted to Kiyevi village was for the alleged acts of contempt, dishonour and disrespect to the good will and brotherhood of Lamhai village in particular and the Zeliangrong community in general.
By Imna Longchar
With the Nagaland government setting up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into the “killings” of the three persons allegedly by four assailants out of which three persons belonging to Kiyevi village and the other a resident of Diphupar village on March 22 evening within the Dimapur-Peren district borders, at Lamhainamdi, Peren, and subsequent arrests of the alleged assailants on March 30 by the police, Lamhai Village Council (LVC) has revoked the customary permission granted to Kiyevi Village.
According to a statement jointly issued LVC chairman, Haibamko, and Lamhai Village Head GB, Amezi, abrogation of the customary permission granted to Kiyevi village was for the alleged acts of contempt, dishonour and disrespect to the good will and brotherhood of Lamhai village in particular and the Zeliangrong community in general.
The statement read that Lt. Kiyevi was given customary permission to establish Kiyevi Village by Lamhai Village, the ancestral landowner in 1939 in the spirit of Naga brotherhood, as sought by Lt. Kiyevi and his men, with oral agreement that Lt. Kiyevi and his men shall abide by the customs and traditions of the ancestral landowner by exchanging parent seeds to live and prosper within the well demarcated land boundary i.e. North:- Hetlakreu (Duilonggo) river, South: Ncuketikpereu, East : Stone Pillars and
West: Straight line joining the confluence of Nkoreu-ncuketikpereu in Southwest and confluence of Hetiakreu-Tehaiki in the Northeast (the land boundary which was re-confirmed by customary oath in 1954 by Lt. Puiteing, Lamhai GB in the presence of K. Bora and DBs Zutovi and lkiesing) for peaceful co-existence as long as the customary obligations to live with mutual respect for each other was honoured.
Whereas the settlement rights conferred to Kiyevi Village by Lamhai, the ancestral landowner, was reciprocated by the present day dwellers with insult, contempt, dishonour and disrespect to the age-old Naga customs by their contemptible acts on the counts that on April 14, 1976, two persons identified as Lt. Kulang Kamei from Mhainamtsi and Lt. Gaikaulung from Dungki Village, were brutally murdered at Mhaikam Village due to issue pertaining to land encroachment by Kiyevi Village.
The statement also read that on November 8, 1986, a young man identified Lt. Heikum of Dungki Village, a “satellite village” of Lamhai, was brutally murdered by Kiyevi villagers, while on May 4, 2000, eight persons from
Mhainamtsi village identified as Lt. Kadilat T. R, Lt. Gwangsoidai Kamei, Lt. Sahramlung Pamei, Kahimlung KG, Lt. Gaichingbuanang Gonmei, Dinrei KG, Lt. Dan Bahadur and Lt. Kanchi Maya, a “satellite village” of Lamhai, were mercilessly gunned down while working in their fields with automatic weapons by “colluding” gunmen with Kiyevi villagers.
It further went on to add that on March 22 this year, three innocent persons belonging to Lamhainamdi village, identified as Lt. Itlngwangbe Haikam, Lt. Pehialungbo and Lt. Sikamwangbo, a “satellite village” of Lamhai were brutally murdered and their bodies mutilated allegedly by armed cadres of
certain “Naga Political Groups” at the instigation of Kiyevi Village while shamelessly claiming ancestral ownership of Lamhai land in the process.
In view of the above, the statement further added that the Lamhai Village Council is compelled to revoke the customary permission granted to Kiyevi Village for reasons of the aforesaid acts of contempt, dishonour and disrespect to the good will and brotherhood of Lamhai Village in particular and the Zeliangrong Community in general.
The declaration was made on April 5 and was made known to Kiyevi village and all authorities concerned that Lamhai Village has revoked the customary permission granted to Kiyevi Village, and hence, the settlers
can no longer claim rights or ownership over the said land from the day of the declaration.
“This declaration is made on the strength of Zeliang Naga customs, traditions and its practices as recognised and enshrined in Article 371’A’ of the Indian Constitution,” the statement added and further
mentioned that continued settlement in Kiyevi village from the day of declaration stands illegal in the customs and traditions of the ancestral landowner.
It may be mentioned that the four persons who were arrested in connection with the firing and killing of the three persons were identified as Zheshito Swu, GB of Kiyevi Village, Ghosheto Swu, VDB Secretary of Kiyevi Village, Vikaho Kappo, also of Kiyevi village and Lovito Swu, of Diphuphar vilage.