CYO demands de-recognition of Maova village
Morung Express News
Dimapur | May 27
The dispute between the Chakhroma and Maova village continued to fester with the Chakhroma Youth Organisation (CYO) demanding administrative action by the state government against the latter. Addressing a press conference in Chümoukedima, on May 27, the CYO demanded the Nagaland state government de-recognise the village, suspend its Gaonbura, and halt all developmental funds, accusing the village of defying both customary laws and state administration.
The press conference was preceded by a police complaint jointly filed by three individuals from Maova on May 18. The FIR was filed by Gaonbura Seiboi Changsan, former Village Council Chairperson Sutminlal Vaiphei and Paoboi Changsan, who is also a former Village Council Chairperson, alleging criminal intimidation and smear campaign against the three by the CYO.
The May 18 FIR was further preceded by the CYO putting up pamphlets, containing a ‘Public Notice,’ in public places in Chümoukedima district reiterating a March 19 CYO directive banishing Gaonbura Changsan and ex-VC Chairperson Vaiphei from the Chakhroma territory. The CYO has accused the three Maova villagers of re-inciting the current imbroglio.
According to the CYO Vice President Sedevilie Angami, their patience was running out. While stating that the wait for a resolution to the dispute has reached a breaking point, he said, “Our patience has been heavily tested, and we are standing at a position where we cannot bear it anymore.”
CYO President Medochüzo Medoze said that the ultimatum for the banishment expired on April 19. He warned that the failure of these individuals to comply could have broader implications. “If they do not listen to our words, and those three individuals do not leave the village, the whole village might suffer the consequences,” Medoze said. He claimed that the CYO is currently restraining its youth out of respect for the law, but warned that ignoring customary laws could lead to unrest.
CYO Advisor Seyieneilhou Keyho said the relationship between the Chakhroma people and the residents of Maova was built on historical agreements, with the Chakhroma acting as traditional landowners. Keyho accused the current generation of ignoring this history. “They are testing our patience. They act as if they have fallen from the sky,” Keyho said, alleging the villagers are making false claims and demanding shares from government schemes.
CYO Associate Member Visako Angami stated Maova has refused to comply with government orders since 1981. He cited non-compliance records submitted by the Deputy Commissioner of undivided Dimapur district in 2010, and the Deputy Commissioner of Chümoukedima in 2022. He questioned why the state government has not taken action. The CYO is appealing to the government to “de-recognize Maova village and reset it,” he said, besides suspending government developmental activities.
Advisor Keyho dismissed the police complaint against the CYO as holding no grounds. According to him, the land on which Maova village stands belongs to the Chakhroma Angami. He held that the current residents of the village and their fore-parents are not native to the Chakhroma.
When asked if the CYO was giving a deadline to the state government to execute the banishment order, Keyho clarified they are not issuing an ultimatum. However, he maintained that the state government is the guardian of customary practices enshrined in the Constitution. He added that the CYO will hold meetings soon to discuss its next course of action and will not remain quiet on the matter.
The conflict stems from a land dispute between the two parties. A violent incident involving arson and vandalism, on February 13, 2026, in Maova village, served as the flash point for the ongoing tensions. Maova is located in the Medziphema sub-division of Chümoukedima district, right on the Jalukie road, NH 129A.
The land dispute in question includes two small plots that fall right beside NH 129A, which both sides claim as theirs. Some half-built structures on these two plots were also torn down during the February 13 violence.
