Lamhai Village Council (LVC) through its chairman Haibamko and head GB Amezi has declared that the council was "compelled to revoke the customary permission granted to Kiyevi village for acts of contempt, dishonour and disrespect to the good will and brotherhood of Lamhai village in particular and the Zeliangrong community in general."
LVC maintained that its declaration was 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 continuation of settlement in Kiyevi village from this day of declaration stands illegal in the customs and traditions of the ancestral landowner," it added.
LVC said that the declaration revoking permission was made on April 5, 2021 and also made known to Kiyevi village and all authorities. In the light of its declaration, LVC said "Hence the settlers can no longer claim rights or ownership over the said land from this day of declaration the 5th. Apri1, 2021."
The signatories claimed that "late 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 Ikiesing) for peaceful co-existence as long as the customary obligations to live with mutual respect for each other was honored."
However, LVC alleged that "the settlement rights conferred to Kiyevi village by Lamhai was reciprocated by the present-day dwellers with insult, contempt, dishonor and disrespect to the age-old Naga customs…"
LVC further said that several people had also lost their lives over the years– two persons on April 14, 1976; a youth on November 8, 1986; eight people on May 2, 2000 and three persons on March 22, 2021.
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