The Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO) General Headquarters has strongly criticised recent remarks made by Member of Parliament Angomcha Bimol Akoijam regarding the relevance and existence of the Hill Areas Committee in the Manipur Legislative Assembly. In a press communique issued on March 9, the organisation expressed concern over the MP’s comments and said such statements raise serious questions about the understanding of constitutional safeguards meant to protect the tribal communities of the hill districts.
In the statement, the KSO said it was both surprising and disappointing that a person of Akoijam’s academic standing would question the constitutional and historical basis behind the formation of the Hill Areas Committee under Article 371C of the Constitution of India. According to the organisation, the Hill Areas Committee was created as a safeguard to ensure that the interests of tribal communities in the hill districts are properly protected within the legislative framework of the state.
The KSO said that remarks made by the MP on issues related to hill areas, tribal land, forest rights and constitutional protections show either a serious misunderstanding of the constitutional system governing Manipur or an attempt to weaken the safeguards that have long protected the rights of indigenous tribal communities in the state’s hill districts.
The organisation noted that Dr. Akoijam had described the constitutional safeguards provided to Scheduled Tribes in Manipur as “unique”. While acknowledging that the protections are indeed distinctive, the KSO stated that such safeguards are not unusual or isolated. Instead, they are part of a broader constitutional arrangement that recognises the unique historical and socio-political conditions of the Northeastern region.
The statement referred to several constitutional provisions that offer similar protections to tribal communities in different parts of the region. For instance, Article 371A protects the customary laws and land rights of the people of Nagaland, while Article 371G provides comparable safeguards in Mizoram. Likewise, Article 371B and Article 244A address administrative and political arrangements in tribal areas of Assam. These provisions, the KSO said, reflect the constitutional recognition that the identity, land and governance systems of indigenous communities require protection.
The organisation also pointed out that when Manipur became a full-fledged state in 1972, the inclusion of Article 371C became necessary because land falls under the State List in the Constitution. Without such safeguards, the statement said, the traditional land ownership systems of tribal communities could easily be overridden by legislative decisions made by majority groups.
For generations, the KSO said, land in the hill districts has been collectively owned and managed through customary tribal institutions. These systems form an important part of the identity, culture and livelihood of tribal communities. The organisation stressed that these traditional arrangements are not simply cultural practices but are recognised and protected under the Constitution.
The Hill Areas Committee, according to the KSO, was created to ensure that laws affecting the hill districts, particularly those related to land and forests, cannot be imposed without the participation and consent of elected representatives from the Scheduled Tribe communities. The organisation said any attempt to question or weaken this constitutional safeguard raises serious concerns about the intention behind such remarks.
