Tikhir and Yimkhiung councils reach agreement on displaced villagers, village administration and land ownership, paving the way for lasting peace
DIMAPUR — The Tikhir Tribal Council (TTC) and the Yimkhiung Tribal Council (YTC) have reached an agreement to resolve issues between the two tribes, including the settlement of displaced people, village administration and ownership of land, paving the way for peaceful co-existence.
The resolutions were adopted at a joint consultative meeting held on November 7 in Dimapur. The agreement was signed by the presidents of the two tribal councils and submitted to the commissioner of Nagaland, in Kohima on Monday, with a request to consider the resolutions at the earliest in the interest of permanent peace between the two tribes.
Under the agreement, displaced Tikhir people from Zaonger and Thulun villages will be allowed to jointly establish a separate Tikhir village under Kiusam EAC headquarters. The location will be identified by the Zaonger Village Council.
Similarly, displaced Yimkhiung people from Pokphur village will be allowed to establish a separate Yimkhiung village under Pungro administration, with the Pokphur Village Council responsible for identifying the site.
Related: Fresh arson reported in Shamator amid Yimkhiung-Tikhir tensions
Zaonger body gives its account of events leading to Yimkhiung-Tikhir clashes
Displaced Tikhir people from Longtsonger village will also be allowed to establish a separate Tikhir village under Kiusam administration, with the Longtsonger Village Council looking after site selection.
The agreement also specifies the tribal identity of existing villages. Pokphur will be a Tikhir village, while Zaonger, Longtsonger and Thulun will be Yimkhiung villages.
Those displaced elsewhere, from both tribes, will continue to avail government benefits through their parent villages until the proposed new villages are recognised.
On administrative arrangements, the two councils resolved that all Tikhir villages, both existing and proposed, would be placed under Kiusam block/administration, while Yimkhiung villages would be placed under Khongsa/Pungro block/administration.
Longtsonger village, currently under Kiusam administration, will be transferred to Pungro administration, while Sangtsung village will be transferred from Kiusam to Khongsa administration.
The agreement further provides that ownership of fields and khetis will remain with the individuals concerned, irrespective of where they reside. The displaced Yimkhiung people of Sukiur 'A' village will not return to the village, but their confiscated properties, fields and kheti will be restored to the rightful owners without conditions through the initiative of the TTC.
The YTC will also initiate the withdrawal of the related case pending before the Shamator District Board's Court.
The two councils stated that all existing issues between them stood resolved and that no fresh issues of a similar nature arising from individuals or organisations in any village would be entertained.
The resolutions were adopted following a meeting held on November 3 at the Commissioner's Conference Hall in Kohima to discuss the Tikhir-Yimkhiung conflict. The two councils stated that the agreement had been reached without any preconditions in the interest of permanent peace between the two communities.