With regard to the two articles in Nagaland Post ie.,” Kiphire situation tense” dated 22nd August,2010 and “USLB clarifies” dated 23rd August 2010, we the descendents of Sukhalu would like to make a few clarification.
In the 1920s a brother of Sukhalu namely Nikiye had gone to Pungro area to survey land for establishing a village. It was during this period that Nikiye was murdered. On hearing the news of his brothers’s death, Sukhalu went to Pungro area and established a village on 1st Jan 1926 which was known as Sukhalu village. After a few years, Hutoi the eldest son of Sukhalu also established a village nearby by the name of Hutoi village. Sukhalu ruled over the area for the next ten years and collected taxes from the neighbouring villages which comprised of various tribes.
We would like to clarify that the land was not given to Sukhalu but it was occupied by Sukhalu by sheer courage and resilience. It may be mentioned that the area was then unadministered and land was not demarcated as areas belonging to particular tribes unless occupied by someone, land did not belong to any specific person or tribe. There were no rules and territory was claimed through battle. Sukhalu was a powerful chieftain during those days and this is how he occupied the land in Pungro.
It had been mentioned in the article “USLB clarifies” dated 23rd August 2010 that Sukhalu had got the disputed land after 10 days of stay in Sanphure village. In fact Sukhalu never stayed in Sanphure village for the land, Our contention is that if Sukhalu had got the land from Sanphure village, how did he collect taxes from them. If Sukhalu ruled over the said area only then would he be able to collect taxes. When tributes and taxes were paid by the surrounding villages to Sukhalu then there is no question of land being given to Sukhalu by Sanphure village. Therefore the claim that Sanphure Village gave land to Sukhalu for establishing a village is totally baseless.
The villagers of Sukhalu moved from this area only after he was killed in battle over some taxation issues as stated by the USLB in their article. It was not over land issues as contented by the YTC.
In fact Sukhalu and his villagers were living in Pungro area peacefully and with supremacy over the people of the neighbouring areas for ten years and it was in the eleventh year of his reign in the year 1936 that he was killed. The body of Sukhalu still lies buried in Pungro area as also stated by the YTC.
We would therefore like to point out the said land which is in dispute was paid at the cost of the lives of Sukhalu and Nikiye.
(H.Kawoto Sukhalu)
Retd. P.A. to DC & Head GB., Kawoto village
(on behalf of the descendents of Sukhalu)
