Editor’s Note: In observance of the second anniversary of the tragic events that engulfed Manipur on May 3, 2023, The Power Corridors is inviting opinion makers and individuals from all sides of this ongoing crisis to share their suggestions for restoring peace and prosperity to the region. As part of this initiative, we feature a detailed article by Mr. W. L. Hangshing, a retired bureaucrat, and General Secretary of the Kuki People’s Alliance. While thanking Mr. Hangshing for his contribution, I take the opportunity to encourage other prominent voices within both the Meitei and tribal communities to come forward and express their perspectives. You may send your write-up at novinkn@gmail.com. We intend to compile these contributions and forward the collection to the Ministry of Home Affairs for their consideration of the voices from Ground Zero. Thank you. Navin Upadhyay
My Eyewitness Account: Revisiting the May 3, 2023, Pogrom and Charting a Path to Kuki Security:
BY WL Hangshing
May 3, 2023 will go down as Manipur’s day of infamy, when Meitei rioters and arsonists went to town targeting pre-marked Kuki houses for ransack and for arson. TV visuals showed the mobs to be accompanied by Manipur policemen in uniform, who did nothing to prevent the lawlessness and in fact were seen as a backup to the rioting. The crowds were fired by news of the rape and killing of a Meitei woman by Kukis (which later turned out to be old visuals of a Delhi incident). The mischief, monger, a meitei youth, though identified, still roams free. The evening was marked by the clanging of electric poles, an innovative rallying sound for the riotous crowds, an innovative stratagem that seems to have been well rehearsed for such a situation. There is no instance till now of any of those policemen in uniform, all Meiteis, having been questioned or chargesheeted for waywardness.
May 4, instead of seeing an easing of tensions, was replete with recharged meitei mobs on the rampage everywhere in Imphal. Kuki students in the University and Medical colleges were hunted out, beaten and killed. Women jobbers in rental accommodations were fished out, raped and murdered. There were visuals of Meira Paibis handing over young Kuki girls to the men to be raped. Social media was awash with Kukis, women and men, chased down and butchered all over the city. There was a gruesome picture of the beheading of David Theik and his head being held by the culprit. The culprit was identified and reported to be the assistant of a Meeitei MLA. He still walks free.
Also Read Dr Seilen Haokip’s Column: Manipur — Two Years on: A Federated Way Forward for Lasting Peace
The days rolled on with no improvement in sight. Law and order seemed to have taken leave. Even worse, the Police forces, notably the Manipur commandos, were clearly seen to be taking a partisan role against the Kuki populace. The Chief Minister himself was prominent in his screaming of war against the Kukis. All Kuki officers were stripped of their functions and rendered ineffectual. Top posts such as the Chief Secretary and the DGP were made out of bounds to Kuki officers. The DGP, P Doungel was stripped of his charge. Officers like Clay Khongsai took the route of Central deputation as DG ITBP and was awarded the President Medal nailing the CM’s lie that he was unfit for the post. Vumlunmang Vualnam, IAS, who was denied the CS post, has now been entrusted with the esteemed post of Secretary Finance-expenditure. They were both found to be unfit for the top posts of Manipur Administration by the then Chief Minister N Biren Singh, who himself now faces incriminating charges in the voice-recorded case in the Supreme Court.
The Imphal valley is now devoid of any Kuki. The last one Kuki woman, 21 years of age, who was married to a Meitei, was rescued only a couple of days ago, having survived a slit in the throat, bodily abused, and bruised all over. The demographic and geographical partition of the Valley and the hills of Manipur is complete and irreversible.
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The figures of 260 deaths in the beginning of the pogrom are all Kukis who were living in the valley. They were unable to escape the cauldron of death, while Meiteis in the hills were safely escorted under the watchful guard of Kuki women, laying bare for all to see where humanity lies.
Two years on, the Arambol, the Leepun and the falana falana meitei secessionist
Cadres who were called back from their hideout camps in Burma by the meitei CM Biren Singh, are reinforcing, recruiting, whetting and grinding their axes in preparation for another attempt at annihilating the Kuki. The prominent slogans are ‘illegal immigrants’ directed at Kuki and ‘the idea of Manipur’ a seditionist dream that they have. Their fangs, dripping with the blood of innocent unwary Kuki, women and children unspared, they are still thirsting for more. All meitei casualties have occurred in their attacks on Kuki settlements, yet they go to town crying the victim cry.
The allegation of ‘illegal immigrant’ has been debunked many times over by the academia, the intelligentsia and the media. The meitei still wave that slogan for perhaps too reasons. One, that being the only justification they have left for their nonsensical anti-Kuki pogrom and the other being that they are devoid of reason any righteousness. The other concept of “The idea of Manipur”, besides being fallacious is Seditious, and counter to the provisions of the Constitution of India. The idea of Manipur lies buried with the king’s signing of the Instrument of accession to the Indian Union in 1949.
Two years on, war cries are only getting louder. Two years on, the question being now asked is as to the ‘Way Forward’. The only difference with the President’s Rule is that the Manipur armed forces, namely the Police Commandos and the state paramilitary, are somewhat reined in from their partisan role against the Kuki populace. Two years on, there is no sign of retributive justice upon those Meitei murderers and rapists whose identities are not unavailable.
The only way forward is to accept the ground realities of Manipur and to provide the Kuki with a means to secure their life and property, by way of a formal self administrative set up. It has to be realised that restoration of status quo is not possible. It is not the way forward. It is not even science fiction.
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