Manipur forest department dismisses Editors' Guild of India report
Manipur government has denied allegations made by a fact-finding team of the Editors' Guild of India (EGI) that the state government did not follow due process in declaring parts of hilly areas as «reserved» and «protected» forests.
Manipur's principal chief conservator of forests S.S. Chhabra in a seven-page letter to the Manipur government said the allegations against the forest department in the report — published by the three-member EGI team after a recent four-day visit to in the state — are «wrong» and «unverified», and they have «led to misinformation… and tarnished the reputation of the forest department.
The EGI report, which was released recently, alleged the state government of branding all Kuki tribals as „illegal immigrants“ after about 4,000 refugees who fled the military coup in neighbouring Myanmar crossed into Manipur.
