SILCHAR, June 27 � Unhappy over the role played by the Cachar district administration with regard to a group of Pnar residents of Boro Kumpi village, who allegedly attacked Hmar people living in Choto Kumpi village on June 2 after a land dispute between the two groups, members of Hmar organisations in the Barak Valley have tendered their resignation en masse.
In a meeting held at Hmarkhawlien in Lakhipur subdivision, members of four Hmar organisations namely, Hmar Inpui, Barak Valley Region, Hmar National Union, Assam, Hmar Students� Association, Barak Valley, and Hmar Youth Association, Hmarkha- wlien branch, said that they were resigning due to the �apathy� of the administration towards arresting the culprits involved in the incident despite appeals.
The leaders lamented that even after lodging an FIR at the Joypur Police Station on the day of the incident itself and a protest rally on June 12, no action has been taken to arrest the accused persons as yet.
Gideon Lalthomlien Hmar, ex-president of the Hmar Supreme House, Barak Valley, said: �When we approached MK Das, the Additional Deputy Commissioner, he said that if any untoward incident recurs, the Hmar leaders would be responsible. Since we have resigned now, we are out of this trouble and the leaders will not have any responsibility. We have lost our faith in the administration and the police.�
Hmar said that as many as 17 homes were destroyed, leaving over 50 people homeless who are now taking shelter in a refugee camp at the Union High School without proper food and other facilities. T Sangkhum, former president of the Hmar National Union, Assam, said that the Hmar people had been attacked three times before the June 2 incident took place. Yet the administration and police are doing nothing, he rued.
Meanwhile, ADC MK Das said that the district administration convened a meeting on June 17 in order to solve the tension rising out of the alleged land debate. He said that after having talks with both the groups, it was felt that demarcation and identification of land area are necessary to clear the misunderstanding between the groups. �In the meeting, I requested the two groups not to take law into their own hands,� he said. Das stated that Forest officials have been directed to demarcate the land, and that the Revenue and Disaster Management departments have been asked to provide relief materials to the victims of the clash.