Manipur violence: Zomi Council Steering Committee dismisses allegations of external interference, writes to PM Modi

The Zomi Council Steering Committee has refuted allegations of external interference in the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur. 

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the committee has dismissed claims of outside involvement, stating that the conflict is an internal issue. The committee has urged the Prime Minister to intervene and help resolve the matter, emphasizing the need for peace and harmony in the region.

The Zomi Council Steering Committee (ZCSC) representing the nine Zomi tribes of Manipur submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister of India today regarding its objection to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) case and sought an early Political Solution for the Zo people (Zomi-Kuki-Hmar ethnic tribes) in Manipur. 

Distraught by recent reports that alleged infiltration on the part of the Zo people and a transnational conspiracy involving terror outfits from Myanmar and Bangladesh to wage war against the Government of India, the ZCSC refuted these allegations and provided clarity on the situation through the memorandum.

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The memorandum highlighted the ever-changing storylines of the Meitei community under the leadership of the Meitei Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh and their sole aim of discrediting the Zo people with their concocted narratives, with the latest one being the Chief Minister’s unsubstantiated public statement that “infiltrators from across the border are responsible for the current ethnic clashes in Manipur.” 

The letter also delved into the Zomi community’s emphatic denial of any outside involvement in the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur and highlighted how such a narrative is not supported by the reality on the ground. Such a fictitious narrative is most unfortunate as it completely misplaced the intent, purposes, and mechanism of the Meitei’s National War on the Zo people of the State, the letter further stated. Instead, the memorandum suggested the Government look beyond the Meitei narrative as all these are outcomes of internal strife within the Meitei community, and are merely the Meitei Chief Minister’s desperate moves to prolong the conflict and derail the peace process with the Zo armed groups under Suspension of Operation (SoO) with the Indian Government.

The memorandum further highlighted the concerted efforts of the Manipur Government to prevent infiltrators from coming into the State including the immediate sealing of the border checkpoints and tightening of security at the start of the Spring Revolution of Myanmar in early 2021 and the cancellation of Free Movement Regime (FMR) provisions to restrict all forms of movement from both sides of the boundary and setting up of a Cabinet Committee to look into the issue of infiltration. The official State data published in April this year reported only 2,480 Myanmar refugees in all the hill districts of the State, out of which some were deported, and around 173 from Lamka were sent to Sajiwa Jail in Imphal.

The memorandum also outlined how the Zomi community and its national Organisations (Zomi Re-unification Organization/Zomi Revolutionary Army) cherished the democratic principles of India and sought political solutions within the Constitutional Framework of India, thereby entering into SoO agreement with the Government of India and playing an active role in maintaining peace and security along the borderlands.

The Meitei’s accusation that there is a foreign hand in the ongoing conflict is explicated in the memorandum as a mere diversionary tactic to mask the decades-old anti-India armed movement of the Meitei community. The radicalization and militarization of the Meitei society in the current conflict, and their collective desires to reclaim the pre-merger status of Manipur require urgent attention of the Indian Government, the letter warned. The ZCSC also wrote how the reluctance of the State Government to make any substantial effort towards recovering the 6,000 plus ‘looted’ sophisticated arms and 6 lakh plus ammunition is nothing short of an unstated message to the Nation that the Meiteis are preparing to finish the Zo people and wage war against the country then after. The malicious hate and misinformation campaign launched against the Central Security Forces by the Meitei community further exposed the community’s true intent, the letter added.

Acknowledging that narratives surrounding the incidents in Manipur have been manipulated by various parties, leading to misinformation and confusion, the memorandum mentioned the necessity of the Indian Government to critically assess any information presented and refrain from drawing conclusions without concrete evidence. 

The memorandum urged the Hon’ble Prime Minister to intervene and bring an end to the Meitei’s National War on the Zo people, withdraw NIA cases based on false narratives while ensuring justice for the Zo people, and expedite political talks with SoO Groups for a separate administration (Union Territory with Legislature) within the framework of the Indian Constitution and concluded that such an arrangement will only ensure inclusive development, durable peace, a stable borderland, and peaceful co-existence in the region.