Thousands of people from the Meitei community on Sunday held a peace demonstration at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi under the Manipur Coordination Committee (Delhi) calling for the restoration of peace and normalcy in Manipur and condemning the divisive politics.
A release issued by Manipur Coordination Committee (Delhi), a conglomerate of Manipur CSOs and Student Organisations in Delhi supported by democratic groups from other parts of India, stated that during the demonstration, the participants called for peace and normalcy in the state and unequivocally condemned divisive politics allegedly triggered by drug mafia and armed militant groups of the Chin-Kuki-Zo and supported by the respective political classes.
It mentioned that despite the massive combing operation conducted by the central and state forces, the violence continues unabated.
“The violence is orchestrated by the drug mafia and Kuki militants and further endorsed by the political class. And the unassuming Meitei people have fallen prey to this provoked retaliatory action,” it read.
It urged the authorities to set the facts straight against fake news and false propaganda, stating that since the start of the violence in Manipur on May 3, there has been a lot of fake news and false propaganda circulated in social media, and national and international news channels.
“The Meiteis have been projected as perpetrators of violence in the valley districts, however, burning of Meitei houses in the Kuki-dominated areas of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts are not brought to light,” it added.
It alleged that the reality behind the façade of anti-reservation protest lies in a web of well-crafted actions by a nexus of Kuki militants, frontal organisations, intellectuals and politicians.
It maintained that even after 30 days when violence broke, several Meitei houses at Sugnu of Kakching district continued to be set on fire by Kuki militants on Friday and after 10 days despite the deployment of the Indian Army and paramilitary forces, the Meetei village of Torbung Bangla was set on fire by Kuki militants on May 13.
On Friday night (June 2), 200 Meitei houses, including the house of the local MLA, were burned down by the Kuki militants and two more houses were razed to the ground by Kuki militants in Dolaithabi, Imphal East on May 20, it continued.
"These show not only the quantum of vengeance but also a well-planned strategy to consolidate Kuki lebensraum (pace sought for occupation by a nation whose population is expanding) in several foothills of the Imphal valley and wipe out the Meiteis from these areas. So far, houses of nearly 1,800 families from 13 Meitei villages were completely wiped out from Churachandpur district. Strangely, the place where Meitei houses were burned down repeatedly was guarded by Assam Rifles. Moreover, all the shops owned by Meiteis at Leimakhong have been looted, Kuki militants are now building bunkers inside abandoned Meitei houses,” it read.
It mentioned that though the vandalising of churches in the Imphal valley is an unfortunate turn of events. But in the violent act of arson, sanity prevailed and the Naga churches and some Kuki churches were left largely untouched. Unfortunately, till now, more than 3,000 sacred places of Sanamahi deity, 11 temples of Sanamahi religion and three Hindu temples have been burned down by Kuki militants, it informed.
The first Ebuthou Pakhangba temple of the Sanamahi religion was burned down in Churachandpur on April 27, seven days before the actual violence happened on May 3 and in 2020, the Kounu temple was burned down by miscreants in Kangpokpi district, it mentioned.
The committee drew the government’s attention to restore peace and harmony in Manipur; provide constitutional protection for Meetei and Meetei Pangal (Manipur Muslim) people of Manipur; protect religious places for both Sanamahi temple, Hindu temple and churches in Manipur; stop illegal infiltration from Myanmar; stop narco-terrorism; protect Manipur hills from ecological threat and challenges due to poppy plantation.
It also demanded immediate abrogation of SoO pact with Kuki militants and disarming Meetei youths (no disarming Meetei youths without abrogation of SoO pact with Kuki militants); maintain and protect the coexistence and territorial and administrative integrity of Manipur; take action against foreign militants and protect the national security of India; and constitutional protection of the Meiteis.
It stated that narco-terrorism is a huge threat to national security and there is enough evidence of SoO armed militants and other groups being directly involved in poppy plantation and drug trafficking which has reached the political involvement of many legislatures.
