West Singhbhum district administration confirms continuation of Manki and Munda village heads

Jamshedpur: The West Singhbhum district administration has put to rest speculation about doing away with the posts of Manki and Munda, the village heads in the traditional self-governance system formerly called Wilkinson Rule of 1837.

Deputy commissioner, Chandan Kumar, said that Manki (who is the head of the groups of villages) and Munda (who is the head of individual villages) are an integral part of the revenue collection system of the govt. “The village heads are authorised to issue vanshavali certificates (lineage certificates) to the villagers,” the DC said.

The DC said that although some Manki and Munda posts are lying vacant, there’s no plan to do away with the vacant posts or remove the existing village heads.

“There’s a norm of appointing the traditional village heads through gram sabha, and the administration will ensure that all the vacant posts are filled soon. Close to 50 vacant posts of Mankis and Mundas were filled in the last six months,” Kumar said in a video message late on Sunday evening.

The DC said that there are complaints of irregularities pending against some village heads, and the authorised agencies are inquiring into the complaints. “Until the allegations are proved and the person is pronounced guilty, he continues to be the head of the village. In the event of punishment, a replacement will be made,” the DC added.

“The Manki Munda system will continue to perform its role as mandated by the govt, and the village heads will discharge their duties as usual,” the DC further said.

The DC had to make a categorical statement pertaining to the future of the heads of the self-governance system as social media platforms are abuzz with reports suggesting that the vanshavali issuing authority of the traditional village heads will be curtailed and gradually Mankis and Mundas posts will be surrendered.

“Some anti-social elements are trying to create a wedge between the villagers/village heads and the administration by circulating unfounded stories,” Kumar said.

He stated that directions have been given to the officials to identify the people behind the fake news racket and take legal action against them. The DC mentioned that soon a meeting of the village heads will be convened wherein they will be informed about their duties, and their concerns will be addressed.

It is notable that the traditional gram sabha and the village heads play a vital role in revenue collection, settling land and civil disputes, and maintaining law and order in cooperation with the local police. The Mankis, Mundas, and Dakuas (priests) receive a monthly honorarium from the state govt. The system helps in maintaining the customary practices. There are over 80 Mankis and 1,200 Mundas.