To fact-check and disclose ground realities of Manipur violence and false narratives or propagandas spread by the majority Meiteis in several media platforms towards the Kuki-Zo community in the wake of an ethnic pogrom, the Kuki Students’ Organisation and Zomi Students’ Federation today compiled and published a book entitled “The Inevitable Split (Documents on State-sponsored Ethnic Cleansing in Manipur, 2023)- Volume 1.
“The Inevitable Split” is presented in the form of six chapters, and is an elaborate description of the events leading up to the dehumanizing ethnic cleansing pogrom carried out by the radicalized Meitei groups such as Arambai Tenggol, Meitei Leepun, etc., in cohort with State security forces, from the evening of the 3rd of May, 2023. The contents of the book include chapters on Modern Manipur- A Historical Background, Systematic Exploitation of the Tribals- A Deep Rooted Injustice, Recent Precedents to the Ethnic Cleansing, Crimes Against Humanity, Reality Checks-Some False Propagandas and The Way Forward- Separation Only Solution.
The book also highlights the nature of crimes against humanity that was carried out by armed Meitei civilians and local militias (Arambai Tenggol), who are allegedly assisted by the State police forces, particularly the State Ccommandos. The document also highlights how the recent pogrom occured as an outbreak of a historical systematic exploitation of the tribals in Manipur, which is firmly connected with the perpetual majoritarian agendas of the dominant Meiteis.
It also addresses how the ground realities of the pogrom have been manipulated through a surge of fake news and the dehumanizing crimes rationalized through false propagandas and narratives. The book states that those fake news and false narratives were allowed to influence the national public and media, as the shutdown of ‘internet/data services including broadband’ is applied to everyone except those media houses in Imphal that supported the State and Meitei narratives.
The concluding chapter hightlights the long-drawn aspiration of the tribals which can be summarised as “Separation Only Solution.” It argues that since there already exist a vertical split between the hills and valley dwellers, earlier emotional, and now physical and geographycal, Separation Administration is inevitable.
