Dimapur, June 9 (MExN): The Dimapur Naga Students' Union (DNSU) has expressed concern over what it described as increasing instances of indigenous individuals allegedly lending their names for the registration and acquisition of land on behalf of non-indigenous and non-local persons, and called for strict action against those involved in such practices.
In a press release issued through its Media & Publicity Cell, the union maintained that such deceptive practices undermine the intent of laws designed to protect indigenous land rights and pose a threat to the rights and interests of the indigenous people of Nagaland.
According to the DNSU, land represents the identity, history, culture and inheritance of indigenous communities and not a mere commodity to be bought and sold.
However, it regretted that certain individuals were allegedly facilitating the transfer and control of indigenous land to non-locals through proxy arrangements and benami transactions, thereby circumventing existing legal safeguards, including provisions of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR), 1873, and other relevant land regulations.
Such acts as a direct assault on the collective interests of the indigenous community and contribute to the gradual alienation of indigenous people from their ancestral lands and could adversely affect the rights of future generations, the union held.
Accordingly, the DNSU strongly cautioned citizens against participating in or facilitating such transactions and asserted that individuals, brokers, middlemen or accomplices found involved in activities that threaten indigenous land ownership should be held accountable through legal and democratic means.
The union also appealed to village councils, colony authorities, Gaonburas (GBs) and other stakeholders to exercise vigilance in land-related matters. It called for thorough verification of ownership claims, land transfers and applications for No Objection Certificates (NOCs), and urged authorities to report any transaction suspected to involve proxy ownership.
Further, the DNSU urged the district administration and relevant revenue authorities to investigate alleged benami land transactions and land records linked to individuals, including Nirmal Jain and Girdharlal Sharma, and take action against any person found to have violated the law.
While acknowledging public support in safeguarding indigenous land rights, the union also cautioned against attempts by vested interests to exploit the issue for personal gain. It stressed that land serving public and community interests should be protected from diversion for private purposes through questionable means.
The DNSU reiterated its commitment to cooperate with the district administration and law enforcement agencies in facilitating what it termed a fair, transparent and impartial investigation into alleged cases of proxy ownership, benami transactions and unlawful acquisition of indigenous land.
"The protection of our land is the protection of our identity, our future, and our collective rights," the DNSU asserted in the release, while calling on citizens to remain united in safeguarding indigenous land rights.
