Kuki Apex Body lists out Biren Singh's Follies, Foibles and Triumph amid escalating tension

Kuki Inpi Manipur, an apex body of Kuki Tribes, has stated the ongoing Meitei violence against the Kuki-Zo people in Imphal on 3rd of May 2023 was fuelled by condescension, intimidation and the ethnocentric-concept of Manipur state.

In the violence, Churches and houses were vandalised, looted and burnt. Women were raped and killed, daily wage earners in Meitei localities were lynched, and hapless passers-by bludgeoned to death on the main roads.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) pointed out that the violence has resulted in demographic and geographical segregation between the two warring parties following the exodus of Kuki Zo and Meitei communities, the former to the hill and the latter to the valley.

Janghaolun Haokip, Secretary Information and Publicity, KIM, said, "The status quo is reinforced by emotional and psychological separation owing to continued offensives from the radical Meitei groups, and persisting state-sponsored hegemonistic exercise for the last eighteen months. All this is daylight robbery, which the state Media fails to hide."

Amid escalating tension between the two communities, Kuki apex body listed out the Meitei Chief Minister N. Biren Singh's Follies, Foibles and Triumph:

BIREN'S FOLLIES:

1.State-sponsored genocide: N Biren Singh, CM Manipur, neither prevented the violence nor its escalation. Instead, the State Forces (SF) led the Meitei radicals in the rampant attacks on Kuki-Zo settlements in the valley. In subsequent days, SF continued to lead offensives on hundreds of Kuki- Zo villages near Meitei settlements, bordering the valley districts. Hence, the infamous statement: State-sponsored genocide.

2. Suspension of Operation SoO, the path to dialogue and peace: The Union Home Minister appointed Advisor Northeast to engage in political dialogue with tripartite Suspension of Operations groups signed in 2008 by KNO and UPF, and the Government of Manipur to negotiate an amicable settlement within the Constitutional framework. Based on alleged ground rules violations, in January 2024, N. Biren Singh and the state Cabinet abrogated the Tripartite Suspension of Operations agreement signed for peace and political dialogue. As head of state, he forgets that permitting Security Force/SF to attack the Kuki-Zo settlements is a gross violation of SoO ground rules, not to mention the abject violation of the institution of the state and Constitutional norms.

BIREN'S FOIBLES:

1. MLAs: Presumably at the Union Home Minister's (UHM) behest, Biren Singh attempts to make peace with the Kuki-Zo MLAs, but fails to tell the truth that he spoke only to one or two, not all ten. The Peace Mission failed miserably.
2. Saibol village & Buffer Zone: Following the onset of the conflict, the UHM established the "Buffer Zones" between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei-dominated areas to maintain peace or "the absence of violence." Contrary to UHM's deliberation, Biren Singh ordered IG CRPF and DGP on 27th December 2025 for troops to be deployed amidst protests of the village folks at Saibol village, which Meiteis relentlessly attacked from 24th December onwards. If the intent was to maintain peace, the orderly thing to do was contain the perpetrators in the Buffer Zone.

TRIUMPH:

1.Head of state: Biren Singh rallied like-minded ethnocentric Meitei radicals against Kuki Zo and successfully received an endorsement to remain head of state.

In a fit of remorse, Biren Singh announced regret on New Year's Day for the CRPF and BSF's brutal action against Kuki Zo women protesters at Saibol on the last day of 2024. To be seen as sincere and fair, he must immediately withdraw the precipitating deployment from Saibol village and beef up the Buffer Zone for the safety of both the Kuki and Meitei communities.