https://thewire.in/security/manipur-healthcare-education-government-reel-under-violence 

The unending turmoil in the state continues to widen the rift between the Meiteis and Kukis. Meanwhile, passengers remain stranded at Imphal airport, hospitals face staff shortages and students face the possibility of having to quit their studies.

Essential services like travel, hospitals and education are badly hit. A senior official of the district hospital at Churachandpur – a Kuki dominated area – said that all 13 Meitei doctors there have been transferred to districts where the latter community is dominant. The Meitei doctors had requested transfers citing security reasons. This has resulted in a shortage of doctors at the hospital, which currently has 49 Kuki doctors. Even the four Naga doctors have fled. This is the condition of many hospitals in the state, where healthcare workers don’t want to work in an area where their community is a minority.

by Banjot Kaur

16/06/2023

PRESS RELEASE
16.6.2023
Over 550 civil society groups and concerned individuals from across the country come together to
condemn the continuing violence in Manipur.
Call for an immediate stop to divisive politics by the state and security forces.
Urge all parties for an immediate cease fire.

Read more …

'How Dare You Keep Silent on Manipur Violence, PM Modi? Silence is Complicity, You Should Resign' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsxm74bbSXA The Wire Jun 15, 2023

In one of the hardest hitting criticisms of Prime Minister Modi’s handling of the six week old crisis in Manipur, one of the Meitei community’s leading intellectuals has asked: “How dare you keep silent Mr. Prime Minister? … how can you keep silent? … the PM’s silence shows he’s complicit … why is he silent as the leader of the world’s largest democracy? … this doesn’t behove his position … take moral responsibility and resign yourself.”

Kukis losing faith in Modi and Shah But What Choice Do We Have? CM Biren Singh Should Be Removed’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj1_lJULOuY Jun 14, 2023 
In the first of a two-part series of interviews speaking to the women of Manipur about the crisis in their state and how it has affected the lives of their communities, the Convenor of the Kuki Women’s Forum has said her community is “losing faith in Modi and Shah” and cannot understand “why they persist with Biren Singh as Chief Minister” but pointedly added “what choice do we have but to keep hope in the Central government?” Dr. Mary Grace Zou repeatedly called for the removal of Biren Singh as Chief Minister of Manipur, accusing him of being anti-Kuki as well as misleading the Central government. Right at the end of the interview Dr. Zou said that the Kuki and Meitei are at “breaking point”.

Tribal communities feel that the BJP-led state government is participating in perilous communal politics by backing the Meiteis as ‘Hindus’ against the tribal people who are predominantly Christian.

https://thewire.in/communalism/bjps-communal-politics-has-deepened-historical-conflicts-in-manipur 

Manipur has erupted in violence. For over a month, the Meitei and Kuki people of the state have been wedged in a political conflict. Many have died, properties destroyed and hundreds injured. Some 37,450 people live in 272 grimy relief camps. More than 40 churches have been desecrated and torched across the state as the majority of the tribals are Christians.  

Congress MLA Alfred Kanngam Arthur exposed facts about disproportionate budget allocations between the hills and the valley. Between 2016 and 2021, from a budget allocation of Rs 22,000 crore in plan funds, the tribals received less than Rs 500 crore. There is also political and economic asymmetry as 20 MLAs represent the hill areas as opposed to 40 from the Valley. The state refutes allegations of large-scale corruption and diversion of funds designated for tribal welfare.  

Meiteis always held the upper hand in Manipur. Their demand to be recognised as Scheduled Tribes is dubious. Tribal communities see through the ploy as an attempt to acquire domination over the hill areas. The hills have a measure of autonomy because of their ST status. The Constitution and other laws safeguards tribal rights through special provisions for the hill areas of Manipur. Other laws prohibit tribal lands from being transferred to non-tribals.  

by Ranjan Solomon

09/06/2023

A seven-year-old boy, his mother and a female neighbour were killed in Imphal West’s Iroisemba area on Sunday (June 4) evening, while the young boy was being taken to hospital after being hit by a bullet splinter at the Assam Rifles camp where his family was staying. 

https://thewire.in/security/manipur-7-yr-old-boy-his-mother-and-neighbour-killed-as-mob-sets-ambulance-on-fire 

A mob set the ambulance carrying the child and his caretakers on fire, and all three of them burnt to death, The Indian Express reported. “All we could recover were some bones from inside the vehicle,” the newspaper quoted a senior police officer as saying. An FIR including sections related to murder was filed that night.

According to Scroll, seven-year-old Tongsing Hangsing and his family had moved into the Assam Rifles camp just a day before that. On Sunday, there was firing between Kuki and Meitei villages that are on either side of the camp, an officer told the publication. A bullet splinter from this firing hit Tongsing on the head, and another hit his mother’s hand.

While oxygen was administered to the child at the camp, he was critical and needed to be taken to hospital. Tongsing is the son of a Kuki father and Meitei mother. Given that the nearest hospital in Imphal was in a Meitei area, the decision was made that the child should be accompanied by his mother, Meena Hangsing, and another Meitei neighbour, Lydia Lourembam, Scroll reported.

The Assam Rifles personnel accompanied the ambulance and police convoy for as long as they could, before being stopped ‘Meira Paibis’ – a powerful vigilante group of Meitei women. The ambulance then continued under police protection. However, a rumour was spread “Kuki militants” were being evacuated, Scroll reported, and the convoy was attacked. A mob burnt down the convoy with the child, his mother and neighbour still inside.

“When we reached Iroisemba, we were stopped by a mob and totally surrounded. The driver and I were pulled out of the vehicle and taken to a club nearby. The police were outnumbered. They did not fire to disperse the crowd. It was around 6.30 pm. We were kept at a club for about two hours,” a male nurse in the convoy told The Indian Express.

Violence continues in the state after ethnic tensions first escalated on May 3. Firing between alleged ‘insurgents’ and security forces led to the death of a Border Security Force jawan on the night between June 5 and 6. Two soldiers of the Assam Rifles were also injured.

According to The Hindu, additional troops have been deployed in the state over the last 48 hours.

07/06/2023

How the violence began https://scroll.in/article/1050361/armed-gangs-and-a-partisan-state-how-manipur-slipped-into-civil-war 

By all accounts, the immediate trigger for the violence that has convulsed Manipur for weeks now was an act of arson in the hill district of Churachandpur on May 3: a purported attempt to burn the Anglo-Kuki war centenary gate that commemorates the Kuki rebellion against British colonists in 1917-’19.

The damage to the structure was minimal but given its symbolic value, thousands of Kukis descended at the spot. The mobilisation was instant for good reason. Thousands of tribal people had already congregated at a place only a few kilometres away for a separate protest against an order of the Manipur High Court directing the state government to consider granting the Meitei community Scheduled Tribe status. Tribal groups feared it would further entrench the dominance of Meiteis in the state.

Things escalated soon. In no time, mobs took over large parts of the state: Kukis in the hill districts dominated by the community, and Meiteis in the Imphal valley. Both sides insist that they acted only in retaliation and did not initiate violence.

by Arunabh Saikia

06/06/2023

 A month into the ethnic violence in Manipur and growing distrust between Meitei and Kuki communities, vigilante groups have reportedly become more active in the state.

https://thewire.in/rights/manipur-rise-in-vigilante-groups-due-to-ethnic-conflict-petition-in-sc-against-internet-shutdown  

According to Economic Times, of the groups that has gained momentum is Meira Paibi (Female Torchbearers) in the Manipur valley. In the past, this group has organised agitations crimes against women, AFSPA and human rights violations.

Nearly 100 people have lost their lives in the violence that began on May 3. Tensions escalated in the state after differences over the majority Meitei community’s demands for ST status. The hill tribes believe this will impinge on their rights and access to opportunities.

05/06/2023

As the violence in Manipur between Kuki and Meitei communities continues for nearly a month, The Wire spoke to Naga elder statesman Niketu Iralu about the situation in the state and his perception of the clash as an independent, outside observer. In an interview with Karan Thapar, published on June 1, Iralu said that the failure of the Indian paramilitary forces to restore order in Nagaland seems “deliberate”. https://thewire.in/rights/full-text-niketu-iralu-karan-thapar-manipur-violence 

Iralu, who is the nephew of the legendary leader A.Z. Phizo, also said that the home minister’s delay in coming to Manipur was a cause of great suspicion and concern. He added that the targeting of some 200 churches, including Meitei churches, raises suspicions that the RSS and other Hindutva forces are deliberately giving a religious colour to the troubles in Manipur.

by Karan Thapar

02/06/2023

https://thewire.in/rights/manipur-imphal-violence-daughters-killed 

Saikul (Manipur): We come from H. Khopibung village in Saikul sub-division of Manipur’s Kangpokpi, a hill district. Saikul is the headquarters of Sadar Hills Autonomous District Council. Our district council is among six such councils set up by New Delhi when Manipur was granted status of a full-fledged state in 1971. The move was to safeguard the hill areas and its residents, the hill tribes, under Article 371C of the Constitution.

However, since 1971, we have not seen much development in our areas, which over the decades, have pushed our younger generation to venture out, even to faraway mainstream cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, to look for decent employment.

Our daughters also ventured out of Saikul for a job. While one was 21 years old, the other was 24. One of them went to work in the state capital Imphal a year ago, the other followed about two months ago. In fact, both worked at the same workplace – Gama Car Wash, owned by an Imphal-based man from the majority Meitei community, Samorjit Ningthouja. While one of them washed cars, the other manned the counter. Things were fine.

We were happy too as their fathers; also because they could come home sooner than those who had to venture out of the state for work. Though hills have been our home, there are many from our Kuki tribe living in Imphal for work; so many from our tribe have settled down in the capital city too. After all, it is their capital also. A reason for wanting to have a house in Imphal is also because there is not much development in our areas; the airport is in Imphal; all good hospitals are there; most jobs are there.

Also read: My House Was Burnt Down in the Manipur Violence. And Just Rebuilding it Won’t Make it Home.

Though from time to time, there has been friction between the Meiteis and our Kuki-Zo tribe, but no one imagined it would take such a turn that people would be baying for each other’s blood on community lines. We never thought there would be so much hatred towards each other that all levels of humanity will be crossed. From May 3 onwards, things took an ugly turn between the two communities like never before.

Our nightmare began on May 5, when one of the mothers of the girls received a call from her phone at around 5 pm that day. On the other end of her phone was a woman, screaming, and asking in Manipuri, ‘Do you want your daughter alive or dead?’ Before her mother could react, the woman cut the phone. We dialled and dialled our daughter’s number thereafter but it went unanswered and soon went dead.

It was nearly night time and we didn’t know what to do. We waited in trepidation and got to know next morning from two co-workers belonging to the Naga community that they were both killed at their workplace by a mob the previous evening itself. The mob included women too.

According to the co-workers, the owner was not present at that time. The mob gagged them first and then dragged them to a room. Seven-eight people from the mob including women entered the room and locked it. They were inside the room for some time which has made us suspect that our daughters might have been sexually abused too, though we can’t say it for sure yet. They were killed by the mob inside that room. One of the co-workers made a video of the mob attack at the car wash; we have a copy of it.

After the news of their death reached us, we tried contacting the owner but he would not pick up our phone. It was his responsibility to protect his workers no matter which community they belonged to. He didn’t, forcing us to ask, was he involved in it too? Only a proper investigation of the matter will bring things to light.

Based on what evidence we have, both of us have filed an FIR each at the Saikul police station. The FIR numbers of our complaints are Zero (65) (5) 2023 SKL-PS, U/s 326/354/366/375/302/34of the Indian Penal Code.

We are yet to hear from the police, though. Kuki Inpe, the apex body of our tribe, and Kuki Nationalist Organisation (KNO) which is negotiating the peace talks of our community with the Union government for some years now, helped us file the FIRs. We hope they will follow it up in earnest so that our daughters get justice.

Also read: ‘My Brother Was Beaten to Death on May 3. I Blame CM Biren Singh for the Manipur Violence’

However, we have an immediate issue at hand. Since May 5 night, the bodies of our daughters have been lying at the morgue of the government-run Jawaharlal Institute of Medical Sciences at Imphal. With the violence continuing in areas that are on the way to Imphal from our district, we are scared to venture out. We know of no Kuki person residing in Imphal at the moment. We, therefore, request the state authorities through this article of ours in The Wire to hand us over the bodies of our daughters and allow us to see them one last time.

It is not easy for parents to mourn the loss of their children but if we get their bodies, we can breathe with some relief that we have succeeded in giving them a decent burial at the least. The fight to get them justice will continue.

(As told to Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty. The Wire has withheld the names of the victims since the sections under which the complaints were filed at the police station are of alleged sexual assault. The names of their fathers have been published here on the insistence of the families.)

by Paotinthang Hangsing and Paolin Chongloi

29/05/2023