The violence in Manipur is wreaking havoc all across the North Eastern state. This situation primarily developed there because of the opposition of the Kuki Christian tribe to the demand of the non-Tribal Meitei Hindus to be included in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category. Incidents of violence were first reported after the ATSU rally against the demand of the Meitei people, after which the situation exacerbated rapidly.
Now, the situation is such that mobs are clashing with each other, resulting in deaths and serious injuries, and people are being burnt alive, along with the torching of houses and shops. After the rally was opposed by an angry Meitei people, the Kuki people had started burning down Meitei houses and destroying Mandirs, after which the Meitei people retaliated and this is how major violence erupted. GoaChronicle, following the scenario on ground zero, had earlier found out that this communal clash between the Kuki Christians and the Meitei Hindus is also seeing the involvement of many Kuki separatist outfits, which even have arms and weapons like the AK-47 and grenades. Grenades were also used to destroy a Mandir earlier.
On Thursday night as well, the Kuki people demolished a Mandir using a JCB at Koubru Leikha, a village in the Senapati district of Manipur. As per sources on ground zero, it has also been known by us that this clash which started with the opposition of the Meitei people’s demand to be included in the ST category, is also witnessing the re-emergence of the demand of a separate ‘Kuki Land’, with well-trained Kuki militants from Kuki separatist outfits like the KNF, KNA, KRA, etc., involved in the violence.
It is a well-known fact that separatist forces in the North East have always been active, and while the BJP has brought peace to the region, in Manipur, separatist forces have become active ones again, with different demands. While the Kuki people demand ‘Kuki Land’, the Nagas demand ‘Greater Nagaland’, making the background of the clashes between the tribes and the non-Tribal Meitei people in the state even more complicated.
The scale of violence in the state had risen to such a level that all the Meitei houses in the hills have been burned down by the Kuki people, and retaliating, the Meitei people have burned down all the Kuki houses in the valley completely.
On Friday morning, it was known to us that the GCO of the army was injured at Leimakhong by an angry Meitei mob when he, along with his cook, who was a Kuki, was on his way to discuss matters with the Meitei leader at Leimakhong, and the Kuki boy was beaten to death by more than 200 people. It was also known that on Thursday night, a total of 8 people lost their lives amidst raging violence at Leimakhong, out of whom 5 were Kuki and 3, Meitei.
On the other hand, in Imphal town, vandalism of Kuki houses was reported to be going on, on Friday afternoon by the Meitei people, with more than 18 churches having been demolished, and Kuki and Meitei people are killing each other.
Looking at the grave situation full of grisly details, the people of Manipur are now demanding the imposition of President’s rule in the state with immediate effect, as they believe that if concrete action does not take place soon, the state might fall down into a deep pit of full-blown civil war.
