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Relations with Tributary States and Frontier Affairs |
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Yemi is a Naga village in the north-east of Manipur. The Manipuris had gone to collect revenue from the Naga villages in this direction, and as the rate per house had been increased from Rs. 2-8 to Rs. 3, it was evidently anticipated that there would be some difficulty in collecting it, as at Maitiphum. The Senapati himself went out with a force of nominally 500 men to collect the revenue from the Nagas about Mao and Maram. At Yemi, however, only a small party went, and were encamped at one end of the village. A dispute first arose about giving firewood, and the Nagas appear to have advanced in a threatening manner on the Manipuris, who eventually fired, and the Nagas immediately fled. Unfortunately, some Kuki irregular troops, who had been sent by the Subadar in command, on seeing the threatening attitude of the Nagas, started in pursuit, and, catching the women and children, who were the slowest in getting out of the village, killed as many as they could. The total number of persons killed was 44. The excuse that Subadar made was that the Kukis got out of hand; but, as the Chief Commissioner pointed out, such troops should not be used for collecting revenue. The Maharaja dismissed one, and degraded the other Subadar, and exempted the village from paying revenue for two years. Such an occurrence was a blot even on Manipuri civilization, and it is to be hoped that nothing of the sort will occur again, as generally the Manipuris appear to treat the hill tribes fairly well. |
