Manipur: One year after ethnic clash, Meitei groups seek justice, blame Kuki groups for violence

Meitei groups on May 3 sought justice and appealed to the Government of Manipur and the Opposition to prioritise the delivery of swift justice to the victims impacted by the yearlong and still ongoing mayhem in Manipur. They demanded that normalcy and peaceful coexistence be restored once again in Manipur.

The Delhi Meitei Coordinating Committee, Global Manipur Federation, Karnataka Meitei Association, Meetei Yaipha Lup, Team Meitei Personalities, World Meitei Council on May 3, jointly released a press statement in connection with the present crisis. They organised a sit in protest at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, claiming to observe Global Solidarity against Trifecta of Illegal Immigration, Poppy Cultivation for Illicit Drug Trade and Kuki Militancy, Land Aparthied against Meetei and denial of ST status to Meitei.

They stated, “We urge to all elected representatives of Manipur Legislative Assembly to work together with the people of Manipur by initiating steps towards reconciliatory efforts with a sole mission to bring a lasting peace and harmonious co-existence in Manipur.”

The groups also claimed that the international cross-border Kuki community, on May 3, 2023 unleashed a premeditated reign of terror in Manipur by vandalising government offices and attacking the Meitei people, provoking their emotions. In return, they claimed that Meitei mobs targeted several Kuki settler colonies, not only to avenge the communal attack but also to prevent further infiltration. 

They claim that the long term geo-political agenda of Kuki offences, the collusion of cross-border clan-based warlords, the modus operandi of funding terrors, physical and psychological damages on people, and threats to India’s internal security and international borderland trade have been covered up by coordinated propaganda of a sinister web of lies worldwide. 

In a press release, the groups claimed that the propaganda of lies and misinformation is the combined product of Kuki settler colonialists who would displace indigenous people by expanding their settler colonies, yellow journalists, crony media, Indian fifth columnists, and vested agencies of the Western world.

What are the Kuki lies? 

The press release stated that not all scheduled tribes in Manipur are Kuki. Non-tribals in Manipur also include other communities in addition to Meitei. The total number of persons killed in the period between from May 3, 2023 to April 27, 2024 is 223, comprising 102 Meiteis, 114 Kukis, 1 Nepali, 1 Maring, 1 Kom, among 5 others. The total number of missing or forcibly disappeared persons is 41 with 31 being Meiteis and 11 Kuki. The total number of injuries is 1555, amongst which 1008 are Meiteis, 383 are Kukis, 39 others, 28 Central Security Force personnel, and 97 from Manipur police.
The groups also stated that there was no premeditated attack by the majority Meiti community on the minority Kuki tribes. 

Meanwhile, the cycle of attack and retaliation continues. 

The total number of destructions between May 3, 2023 and March 19, 2024 is 4792 houses (2122 Meitei and 2670 Kuki). The total number of displaced persons is not available, but on April 22, 2024 at least 24655 Meitis and 34489 Kukis were sheltered in 317 relief centres. The total number of children who became orphaned or semi-orphaned is 45 (12 Kuki children staying in relief centres and 33 Meitei children staying outside relief centres).

It stated that not all Meiteis are Hindus and not all Christians are Kuki. The total number of destructions of religious structures between May 3, 2023 and March 19, 2024 is 639 religious structures (408 churches and 231 temples).

The Meitei groups also claimed that the valley is not solely owned by the Meitei community, neither are all Kukis indigenous to the Manipur hills. “Since Meiteis are not granted land rights in the hills where land laws have not been extended, they do not encroach to occupy hills. Similarly, there is no encroachment on Kuki land by the Government of Manipur. On the contrary, there is an abnormal decrease in Manipur’s forest cover area and the Government of Manipur has been striving to protect the State’s forests from the ecosystem destroyers, including those targeting forests. The alarming decline in forest cover is related to unnatural growth of villages in Kuki-dominated hill districts.”

Why the propaganda of lies?

The statement released by the Meitei groups claimed that Kuki masterminds covered up their secret agenda of creating an exclusive Zale’n-gam as a protectorate territory of the Western Imperialist powers by carving out territories from India, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. “This must be achieved first by creating autonomous territories in all these countries, which should become contiguous and operated by Western imperialist agents in the name of religious and humanitarian aid.”

It also stated that interplaying multi-prong strategies related to the system, manipulation, armed insurrection, and propaganda have been adopted. 
“To bolster their ranks, they have systematically transplanted Burmese infiltrators, who subsequently acquired Indian citizenship by unscrupulous means upon their arrival in Manipur. Together, they misappropriate the Scheduled Tribes status reserved for Indian citizens and seize control of land, resources, economic opportunities, job, and political and administrative positions. This has helped them to expand their cross-border territorial bases, increase manpower for building militia and regular armed groups, vote bank, civil society pressures, land grabbing, fundraising, among others.” 

They claimed that funds for armed insurrection and propaganda is derived from profits in illicit narco-business, smuggling, kleptocratic accumulations, extortions, plunders.

According to the press release, “A few days before their direct action day on May 3, 2023, they protested the proposed visit of Manipur’s Chief Minister to Churachandpur and vandalised an open public gym on April 27, 2023, the night before the Chief Minister’s visit. On April 28, they announced non-cooperation with all government related programmes, a total shutdown of Churachandpur, and vandalised the forest office at Tuibong. On April 29, they desecrated the seven coloured spiritual flag of the Meitei community and the Meetei God Ibudhou Pakhangba’s shrine. They discreetly planned and initiated their direct action day on May 3. By creating mayhem, they hoped to topple the local government on the grounds of instability, and thus remove obstacles against their agenda. They created fake victimhood narratives and spread lies that projected the Meitei as culprits attacking them, in order to garner solidarity and support from misinformed sections in India and beyond.”

Why call for justice?

Claiming that the propaganda of lies has unfairly portrayed the Meiteis who are the real victims of cross-border terrorism as culprits, the groups in their statement stated, “India remains either ignorant or mute spectator to the blatant terrorism on its soil by cross-border Kuki settler colonialists, mostly funded by narco-business cartels and international agencies, and armed with smuggled weapons from the West. The country has been rendered unprotected.”

“High profile Indian fifth columnists, armed chair liberals and leftists, and a clique of opposition have failed to stand for peace but instead indulged in sectarianism and propaganda of lies. It has become clear that their objective is not democratic idealism and humanitarian causes but to take advantage and to aggravate the already precarious situation, as istheir habitual opportunism to topple the local government,” it further added.

Conveying that an impression about Manipur being too far away from Delhi and nationalists’ patriotic mindscape has been created, the statement added that the North Eastern portion of Manipur has been isolated, at least for a year, from the dominant mainstream perceptions and agenda that can help neutralise cross-border Kuki terrorists and thus restore rule of law, peace, democracy, and progress. 

“The regime in power, while tacitly favouring leniency to Kuki armed groups protected by Suspension of Operations, compromises Manipur’ security (and by extension, India’s international border) from the elements of external aggressors. It becomes crystal clear that the authorities are not only neglecting the rule of law but also desisting from fulfilling the constitutional responsibility.”

They also claimed that some allegedly high profile renegades amongst the political, administrative, and security barons, either for their clandestine political or personal gain, may allegedly stand by the side of the terrorising partisan forces which would create a serious negation that may cost Manipur people’s loyalty and trust.

Calling for justice, the Meitei groups stated the presence of incomprehensible security and administrative lapses for a year. “There is now a dilemma as to by whom, when, and how the immediate victims of Kuki community and the most aggrieved sections affected by the Mayhem would be adequately compensated and rehabilitated.”