Long foot journey to locate missing boundary pillar

Jarnail Singh
On August 6, 1979, I joined as Deputy Commissioner Chandel. Within a couple of days, I got a message from Chief Secretary Manipur informing me that the headman of Molcham village on the India–Myanmar border had complained to the government of India about missing Boundary Pillar (BP) and encroachments on his village’s land by Myanmar’s villagers. He had requested the governments of India and Manipur to fix BP and demarcate the south-eastern boundary of his village land. In the message, the chief secretary directed me to personally visit the area and submit a report within one week.
Instead of going to Molcham from Moreh by jeep on kacha-track along the India–Myanmar border, I decided to go on a foot journey from Chakpikarong to Molcham, which is about 55 kilometres. Next day early morning, my vehicle dropped me off at Chakpikarong. In addition to my office staff, the district council member from Khengjoy was also with me. We started walking from Chakpikarong on narrow paths up the hill and reached Mombi and had tea. From then on, the journey was through zigzag and up and down narrow footpaths. It was hot and humid. I could see leeches perched on grass on both sides of the footpath. To safeguard myself against leeches creeping up my trousers, I had tucked my trousers in my socks. I had also buttoned my shirt collar as these leeches could fall from trees. Our first night halt was at Khengjoy which was about 35 kilometres by foot. After crossing Mollen/Mullam, we encountered a steep barren hill with about 10-metre long and less than one-foot wide footpath with a vertical slope.
Slipping there meant rolling down more than 200 metres. Seeing me worried, my companions joined bamboos and created a kind of railing with the bamboos on the downhill side. I removed my shoes and slowly crossed the frightening footpath, as bare feet provided better grip. When we reached Khengjoy, darkness had descended. I was dead tired, finding it difficult even to lift my legs. In my whole service, this was the second time I had travelled so much distance in one day in hill footpaths, first being from Yangkhunou to Tamphung (Zemei Naga area) in 1976 when I was SDO Tadubi.
Next morning, we left Khengjoy and bypassing L Bongjoi we reached Yangoulen village, in the Kabo valley. The Yangoulen area is flat with teak trees all around. Molcham is nearby at a slightly higher elevation. I met the commander of a nearby Border Security Force (BSF) post who had a copy of the map of the border area which had been certified by the surveyor generals of India and Myanmar.
The certification meant that there was no dispute about the international boundary and location of BPs between two countries. The only issue was to locate the missing BP on the ground with the help of this map. The commander of the security post told me that he sent patrolling squads once a week to check all BPs within his jurisdiction. If any foul play was noticed regarding the location of any BP, the government was informed. He knew about the complaint of the Molcham village headman.
Next day, I inspected the international border area along with the commander of the BSF post, Molcham headman and villagers. With the help of a map available with the BSF post, we were able to locate the position of the missing BP. It was near the northern bank of the Tuiwang River and probably it was thrown into the River by someone. With this position of the BP (No. 66), Tuiwang, a Myanmar village, was about 100 metres inside Indian Territory. If the BP was fixed on ground, then Tuiwang village would have to move from its present location to Myanmar’s territory, leaving behind flat agriculture land, which they were cultivating, and also encroaching. People of villages on both sides of the border are from the same tribe and related to each other.
After a five days journey, I returned to Chandel. I prepared a detailed report about the missing BP as well as how to locate it on the ground and demarcate international boundary. The representation of Molcham headman to the government of India was correct. As I had seen this border area fairly well and knew likely position of missing BP, I thought that I would be helpful during discussions between Indian and Myanmar’s teams for fixing the missing BP and demarcation of the international border. But just after 39 days as DC Chandel, on 13th September 1979, I was transferred as DC Ukhrul, and was not informed what happened after that.
The writer is former Chief Secretary of Manipur and also served as the Administrator of Manipur University