MANIPUR

THE CHRONICLES OF LOST TIMES

includes,

M A N I P U R.⏳️

The scenic Manipur State of India is threatening to incite instability all along the Northeast after its scenic beauty and India’s image shattered by the shameless and inhuman images of its women paraded naked and raped in the ongoing ethnic, religious, fatal strife.

The violence erupted after the Meitei community given quotas in government jobs and other benefits, giving rise to fears and anger in the another community of Manipur – the Kukis. The speculations and rumors soon spread that they (the Meities) might be allowed to acquire land in areas reserved for them and other tribes.

Very soon, the conflict acquired a familiar form of inter-caste, inter-, religious clash to be followed by national and international politics where religious conflicts rarely left to the involved people to settle among themselves It even reached the European Union, and the Eurpean Parliament passed the first ever resolution on Maniput. Also, had the opposition really worried earnestly about Manipur, it would have picked up the issue long back. It picked it up only when it went out of control, and the opposition felt that they had found the weak nerve of the aggressive BJP.

 Only when the fury and agony over the women paraded naked and raped reached to its crescendo, with US and EU reacted,  then the reactions started to came out strongly.

It ( the alliance of opposition parties)is now united and brought a no confidence motion against the Modi government in the parliament. The opposition is successful in attracting the attention of people as they are demanding a statement by no one else but PM Modi himself on the ethnic violence in the Manipur State.

A huge rally supporting tribes in Manipur was organized by an NGO in the adjoining state of Mizoram. Representative of state government participated in the rally which saw big crowd. The state government, in fact, declared a holiday to facilitate state employees to participate. The flames are spreading out, and the law and order situation in Manipur must be brought under control. The elders and the social big weights from both communities should come forward or be compelled by government administration to control the seething anger.

The situation calls for renewed efforts to curb the unrest and prevent from spreading into adjoining land of ‘Sisters’. BJP must not let its development work (which appeared to be started earnestly)sink into the muddled political, secessionist, and unstable sink. The internet ban has been partially lifted in the state, and goods movement is restarted in Manipur, but this is not sufficient.  

thehindu.com reported that an Umbrella body of Imphal Valley -based civil society organizations has asked the European Parliament not to let Manipur become the “new Golden Triangle” of drug trade by projecting the violence between what it called “immigrant Chin-kuki narco-terrorists” and indigenous Meitei people in the state as a religious conflict. The Golden Triangle refers to one of the biggest poppy-growing and drug-trafficking corridors in the world straddling China, Lagos, Myanmar, and Thailand. Chins are primarily from Myanmar, many of whom have allegedly settled down illegally in Manipur over the decades.

The report further says – In a letter to Roberta Metsola, the president of the Strasbourg-based EP on July 23, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur integrity COCOMI rejected the opinion of the EU members by saying that the opinion of EU members was derived from a web of lies fed by vested interest groups batting for the narco-terrorists.

The COCOMI lauded the EP for passing the first ever resolution and further says that “However, it is regrettable to note that the core issue of narco-terrorism,which is fuelling the conflict, seems to have been omitted from the resolution you have adopted. Your resolutions were guided by a wrong and misleading perspective which made you arrive at a flawed understaning of the issue in Manipur as a conlict between Christian minority and majority Meetei Hindu”, COCOMI coordinator Jeetendra Ningomba wrote.

The COCOMI claimed that 1.7 lakh Meitei people follow Christianity , which is 35% of the total Kuki Christian population in Manipur and 100% of the Meiteis , including Christians, have been ethnically cleansed from the Christian Chin-Kuki-dominated areas in districts such as Churacandpur and Kangpokpi.

In an altogether new dimension thrown in, it claims that narco-terrorists belonging primarily to the Christian Chin-kuki tribes have established a 500-600 Billion Rupees economy inside Manipur by illegally occupying and converting 1,25,000 acres of forest areas. The drug cartels across the India-Myanmar border have also set up armed groups to run the illegal business, it said. Is it a diversion prohibiting the EU from a religious animosity angle to a drug cartel trade or an eye wash to dilute the violence and burning of temples or churches? Only time and more proofs will tell.  

The Kuki people are an ethnic group in the Northeastern Indian states of Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram, as well as Bangladesh and Myanmar. Meitei people’s Meitei language is one of the 22 official languages of the Indian Republic and the sole official language of Manipur.

Meitei are Hindu though originally, their Gods are Atingkok, Asheeba, and Apanba, and Goddesses are Leimarel Siabi, Imoinu, Panthoibi, and Phouoibi. According to the Statsman , an overwhelming majority of Meitei is practicing Hinduism while Kuki and Nagas mostly are Christians.

The misconception that Meitei is entirely Brahmin Manipuri is not entirely true. There are some Manipuri Meitei, a result of miscegenation of Brahmin male immigrants from different parts of India who married native women, mostly tribal. They spread the Bhakti cult, and soon Radha and Krishna are their idols spreading the message of love and harmony.

There are many aspects through which one can relate the Meitei race to the Mongolian race, same as Kuki, Naga, and others bordering fringe areas. T.C. Hodson, who was the Asst. political Agent and Superintendent of the State of  Manipur, after careful observation , remarks “I think it is probable that when only a small part of the valley skirting the hills was capable of cultivation, the hill men bordering it used to descend and cultivate the little land there then was, returning to their homes in the hills after reaping their harvests as, however, land increased, some few of them settled permanently in the plain, gradually increasing in numbers. The various tribes thus settling in different parts of the valley, would in time come into contact, and after a struggle for supremacy, amalgamate ( Hodson 1908,7).

V. Chakravarty (1986) also concludes that Meitei had their ultimate origin in the hill areas of Manipur. Elwin’s description is similar when he says, By the casual observer the so called Manipuri  ( Meitei) would be pronounced a mixed race between the Kuki and the Nagas (Elwin 1969 451) Numerous historians believe that the people residing presently came from further east supports this theory (–  e – pao.net.).

 The Indian Express says the trigger for the violent clashes in Manipur was a contentious order of the high Court that boosted a longstanding demand by the valley dwelling Meitei to be designated as a Scheduled Tribe in order to protect their ancestral land, traditions, culture and language. Protests by tribal groups against High Court order in all the hill districts on May 3 led to violence, first in Kuki dominated Churachandpur and then in the Imphal valley.

This points out to the futility of struggle and clash as the origin of Manipur communities seems to be from one source and divided afterward on religion and location. One should actually move forward instead of stopping to turn the clock backward. No one can create conditions as they were in the past. If we forsake living in the past and try to recreate past, many a clash and lives would be spared. Efforts to undone the past events may satisfy a few, but not the total population.. The welfare lies in numbers and not in individuals, caste, and clans.

Many present events germinated from the past when in the 18^th century Manipur was nearly an inaccessible land full of hills and impenetrable forests. Under British rule soon Meitei concentrated mainly in the valley areas and other tribes in hills. The British were ruling India. And, the people of Manipur were almost unknown to the outside world. In such a scenario, William Pettigrew of Scotland arrived to spread Christianity. The Brits fearing disapproval of dominant Meitei send him to promote amongst hill tribes.

Even after India got independence, the area remained neglected, and most ethnic groups felt marginalized and discriminated totally.

There was bad governance, apathy, lack of development, and zero recognition by Delhi.  people keep coming from Myanmar, Bangladesh, and eastern regions mixing, warring, acquiring land forcefully, entering illicit trade, human trafficking, arms selling, drug trafficking and what not!

The Northeastern insurgency followed after the independence took roots in the all-familiar clash of natives’ vs. outsiders, land acquisitions, and hierarchy struggle. Whenever government try to develop the area by implementing policies of welfare without considering the tribal and caste intermix, other groups turned to militancy and in 1960s to 1980s Indians in other parts of the country consider the Northeast area to be lost to foreign culture and terrorists.

 It should not be overlooked that Modi government invested tremendously in the development of all Northeastern states, mixing with population, developing infrastructure by visiting repeatedly and breaking the strong hold of Congress and leftist politics and won these states. It seems that finally, time has arrived for these long, neglected, alienated states, and they are truly brought back into the mainstream. 

It was all good till then but once the court decision interfering the status quo came, the entire atmosphere stirred and old disputes rose with such a force that Home ministry and even the Army Chief General couldn’t control! Tensions brewing since May 3 and particularly after an interethnic violence erupted during a solidarity march called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur ATSUM in protest against an April 19 Manipur high court order directing the state govt to consider giving Scheduled Caste ST reservation to the Meitei community. The heinous crimes against women came to fore stirring all the nation and reaching international level. It’s like a blot on Europe and the West friendly Modi government.

 Home minister Amit Shah earlier appealed to both groups several times to maintain peace. His, ‘not worked’ out assurances that Centre will ensure that justice is given to all who suffered in the clashes which broke out in the state, but people must hold a dialogue to ensure peace in the state have proven ineffective. His statements were greeted by fresh violence. Suspected militants opened fire at a group of people – mostly of them displaced during ethnic clashes in Churachandpur and took shelter in a relief camp at Moirang in Bishnupur. Churachandpur district matrix of population gives an indication of the inverted demographics, where the Christian population is 93.01, Hindu – 4.39% Muslims – 1.05% Sikh .06%, Buddhist .18 % , Jain .03% ; Of the entire Manipur state, the demographics runs like this –  Hindu – 41.39%, Christian – 41.29%, Muslim – 8.40%, other religion – 8.19% ,while the entire Christian population at all India level stands at 2.3% . But it doesn’t mean that these demographics can be turned on their heads to desired numbers. Any such attempt will prove dangerous to national health.

Scholars from both the Meitei and Kuki communities reportedly met in Union Minister Rajkumar Ranjan Singh’s home in Delhi. The only MP from Manipur Lorho S. Pfoze was also pesent. “Ten intellectuals each from both the Meitei and Kuki discussed how to bring peace and reconciliation in Manipur, and the way forward. They spoke about thousands of years of shared history, culture, and civilization and agreed no one wants to lose them,” But all these efforts were proven meaningless in the wake of increasing hatred and violence.

 A Manipur tribal body – the Indigenous Tribal leader’s Forum has written a letter to Kuldiep Singh, the former CRPF chief and now the security advisor on Manipur, saying – they can no longer live with the dominant Meitei anymore.  There is a clear-cut partition of Hill and valley people as the tribals living in Imphal (Valley) have now returned to the tribal areas and the Meitei living in the tribal areas have gone to Imphal the ITLF said.

 CM Biren Singh informed that additional security forces are applied in the state consisting of Central Armed Police Forces CAPF, Manipur Police, Manipur Rifles, India reserve battalion IRB and Village Defense Force VDF at 38 vulnerable areas.

The Army Chief General of India Manoj Pande said that the army is carrying out combing operations to recover weapons looted from armories in Manipur and will use force if required to get them back. He added that the forces have strict instructions to be ‘absolutely neutral’ between the two warring ethnic communities. He said that the army and Assam Rifles had evacuated a huge number of the 36000 people displaced in the state to safer place. We also had 21000 people who took shelter in our operating bases and posts.

Home Minister Amir Shah, while coming down heavily on Kuki militant groups, has said any violation of the suspension of operation agreement will be dealt with sternly, and the pact must be followed for peace to return.

He also warned rioters to surrender their illegal weapons within a day or else be prepared for strict action. A panel led by the former judge to probe cause of violence, He added. Claiming that the Manipur high Court order on the Meitei community’s demand for the ST status was ‘given in haste’, he asserted that the decision triggered the ethnic violence that has kept the state boiling nearly for a month. He was particularly insistent on pointing out that the clashes were ethnic and not a fight between the security agencies and Kuki militants, as stated by Manipur CM N.Biren Singh revealing differences. Perhaps a prelude to the drama about his resignation played too superficially. The hollow statements from the bigwigs didn’t change the violent situation a bit. The violence continued unabated.

Union Minister Rajukumar Ranjan Singh expressed anguish at miscreants torching his residence in Imphal’s  Kongba area, saying that the “law and order situation in Manipur has failed”. Sing, who is Minister of State for External Affairs, said that “ I don’t know why people have been attacking me. I am trying to bring peace and normalcy in the state”.

In June, a retired lieutenant general in India’s army demeaned the volatile situation in his native Manipur –

The state is now ‘stateless’, tweeted L Nishikanta Singh, “Life and property can be destroyed anytime by anyone just like Libya, Lebanon, Nigeria, Syria, etc” Still then, perhaps the authorities turned a blind eye , pouring only soldiers and security personnel from all over the country who even couldn’t guard their own weaponry which was looted by armed insurgents from both the sides.

Nearly 60000 ppl have been displaced and taken shelter in some 350 camps. Some 40000 security forces army soldiers paramilitaries, police failed to control the violence. Hardly a quarter of the more than 4000 weapons looted by terrorist gangs from both factions from police armories have been voluntarily returned. Along with people, homes, vehicles, Churches and Temples also suffered a lot with hundreds of them vandalized, burnt and destroyed. Violence still going on in the state.On Tuesday morning, two buses used by security personnel were torched by a mob in Kangpokpi district. No casualties were reported reports abp-live.

The Manipur case is included in ‘ The Chronicles Of Lost Times’ because a good opportunity to make democracy and religious harmony strong after good infrastructure development in Manipur is presently lost! And, it will take time to regain the confidence of people there!