Asserting that military operations would not bring peace in Manipur, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), a Kuki-Zo civil body in Lamka, has earnestly requested the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, to expedite their demand for a political solution: a Union Territory with legislature for the Kuki-Zo community under Article 239A of the Constitution.
In an Open Letter to Amit Shah, Union Home Minister, Government of India, ITLF said, “The nature of the conflict – the death, destruction, and radicalisation of the Meitei community – means that the Kuki-Zo community will not be able to live a safe and dignified life in Manipur even if some semblance of peace is enforced by the military.”
Expressing serious concerns over the rising cases of central agencies’ high-handedness shown towards Kuki-Zo Village Volunteers who are facing the brunt of violence in the ongoing ethnic conflict, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum, a conglomerate of Recognised Tribes in Lamka, Outer Manipur, stated that a number of cases warranted condemnation, especially those that occurred in Jiribam’s Phaitol village and Mongbung village.
“Seven Kuki women were beaten up by central security forces, and two village boys were taken into custody. Furthermore, three Kuki village volunteers were arrested after an arson attack on the home of L. Hengjol village chief, and five Kuki women beaten up by security forces had to be rushed to Noney Hospital for treatment. Additionally, security forces set fire to the home of the general secretary of Kuki Inpi (Jiribam, Noney, and Tamenglong),” it mentioned.
Meanwhile, ITLF stated, the majority community, which controls all the state’s resources, is still carrying out its ethnic cleansing campaign against the Kuki-Zos. “Even to this day, we are still witnessing the burning of Kuki-Zo houses in Jiribam by Arambai Tenggol militants, while central security forces seem to have been ordered to concentrate on rounding up Kuki-Zo village defenders,” ITLF said, adding that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was also arresting people on terror charges for simply trying to protect their community.
“NIA should not be used as a tool for suppression. Genuine cases can be taken up after a political solution is in place,” it said.
The tribals said that time and again, they have been witnessing the Meitei terrorists from UNLF and Arambai Tenggol crossing the so-called buffer zones to attack tribal settlements which necessitates the deployment of armed village volunteers to protect their homes and families, a fundamental right in every country. The recent instances of security forces arresting tribal volunteers and confiscating their weapons are not only blatantly unfair but also increase the vulnerability of Kuki-Zo villages along the foothills, it stated.
“While combing operations are in full swing in Kuk-Zo areas, Meitei militias with automatic weapons are freely operating in the state capital and surrounding valley. State police and central security forces have become mere spectators as these militants travel freely in vehicles, brandishing guns and openly calling for the genocide of the Kuki-Zo tribes,” ITLF said.
The Forum alleged that around 6,000 weapons and lakhs of ammunition looted from state armouries were still being held by the Meitei militants, but no sincere effort has been taken to retrieve these stolen weapons, and none of the militant leaders, including Arambai Tenggol chief Kourunganba Khuman, have been arrested.
It warned that the Kuki-Zo people would not cooperate with the security forces if they continue to act in a biased manner. Acton cannot be one-sided, it stated.
The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum also said that if the central government was sincere about disarming everyone in the interest of peace, it could introduce the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) immediately in Imphal and other valley areas where most of the looted weapons are circulating, and that should be followed by an operation to retrieve all stolen weapons.
To address the bogey of “illegal immigration,” ITLF said the government should document all the people who have fled to Manipur due to the crisis in Myanmar, issue ID cards, and house the refugees in designated camps. “We are tired of being repeatedly referred to as “illegal” in our own land to justify the agenda of a majoritarian government and the actions of militant Meitei groups,” it stated.
On issue of the Chief Minister of Manipur and the Meitei people who have been frequently referring to the Kuki-Zo people as narco-terrorists, the Forum asserted that while some people may have engaged in poppy cultivation, this does not mean that the whole community supported or took part in the practice. On the contrary, they consistently backed the government’s efforts to combat the state’s drug problem.
It should be mentioned that other tribes in Manipur, including Meiteis, also engage in the practice of poppy farming. Meitei propagandists created the myth of the “narco-terrorist” to malign the Kuki-Zo community.
Regarding Chief Minister Biren Singh’s recent remarks in which he said peace talks have started, the Open Letter said that ITLF’s leadership and leaders of other tribal CSOs were not aware of any talks. The CM should stop spreading rumours to gain public support. If some people have taken part in any meeting, they are doing so in their personal capacity, it added.
ITLF further said that there were reports of a military camp being constructed along the Churachandpur-Bishnupur (Torbung Bangla) border. In this regard, the Forum has requested authorities to relocate the camp somewhere in the middle of Bishnupur and away from Churachandpur so that no necessary tension is created.
