Hundreds of Manipur natives living in Bengaluru gathered at Freedom Park, Bengaluru on Tuesday, August 1 in a show of solidarity with the survivors of the ethnic violence in the northeastern state. The protest was attended by survivors of the violence who fled the state in May this year, as well as representatives from a cro,ss-section of tribal groups in Manipur, including members of the Kuki-Zo community.
It was convened by Savio T Lupho, the president of the Kuki Student Organisation in Bengaluru. Savio has been busy in the last week, arranging the necessary permissions and interacting with different tribal groups from Manipur to unite them for this protest. TNM caught up with him on the sidelines of the protest to discuss the ethnic violence in his home state and its fallout.
What do you think about the media coverage of the violence in Manipur, which has been going on for more than three months now?
I am disappointed. It is important to show how political power is consolidated with the Meitei community. In the 60-member Legislative Assembly, 40 members are from the Meitei community, 10 are from the Kuki community and 10 are from the Naga community. Even the Chief Minister is from the Meitei community.
The real scenario is completely different from what is being portrayed in the media because most of the media, who are based in Imphal, could not reach the Kuki areas. Most of the local media and the TV news use the terms Kuki militia and Kuki militants to describe the Kuki youth fighting. Our volunteers are guarding our villages. Can they be called militants? We are being accused of harbouring illegal immigrants and of narco-terrorism.
Only one video has gone viral but there are many more that are yet to reach the public. Many more videos will come and even if there are no videos, there have been many more sexual crimes and people have suffered. In one of the cases, the victim was handed over [to the mob] by Meitei women.
What is your response to the Meitei demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status?
Why did they [Meitei community] decline to be included among Scheduled Tribes till now? When Manipur joined the Union of India in 1949, Meiteis were in the majority but they did not want to be with tribals because they considered themselves to be of a higher class. They looked down upon us who lived in the hills. They considered us to be backward people. They called us tribal people (hao) in insult and now they themselves want to be considered tribals?
The difference between Kukis and Meiteis is not comparable to the differences between a Brahmin and a Dalit, but there are parallels. There are no visible markers to differentiate between a Kuki and a Meitei.
Why do Meiteis want to stoop so low and be identified as tribals?
The ST tag gives reservation for the Kuki community in jobs and education. STs have 31% reservation in jobs and education. This is going to take away the economic benefits of our community.
Can you tell us about the relationship between the tribal communities and the Meiteis in Manipur?
There are two major tribal communities – Nagas and Kukis – and they have their own divisions within the communities.
Even Kukis and Meiteis married each other and shared so much space together before this conflict. There are Kuki brides in Meitei households and Meitei brides in Kuki households even now.
The Kukis have been fiercely independent for a long time. We are a strong-willed community. We had fought the British in the Anglo-Kuki war from 1917-1919 after our chieftains refused to join the Imperial Labour Corps.
What do you think about the intervention of the Union government?
I am not happy about the Union government trying to play down the violence after the video emerged. I was shocked to hear Smriti Irani (Union Minister of Women and Child Development) making comparisons to West Bengal instead of acknowledging the scale of the violence. What happened in Bengal was not good, but two women were paraded naked in Manipur. Instead of condemning that, if she is showing this kind of attitude even in a situation like this, what can we expect?
There are Kuki BJP MLAs in the cabinet. Why do you think the BJP managed to garner support within the Kuki community?
The Kuki community is a trusting community. We followed the BJP because we are a state without enough resources. We expected the BJP government to transform our land and our people, but now we know how our community is suffering.
Are you hearing about students leaving Manipur to other states?
Yes, there are hundreds of students from Manipur who are looking for admission in schools and colleges in Karnataka. We sent a letter requesting the Karnataka Education Minister to allow students to be admitted in institutions in the state even if there is a delay in getting the migration certificate. Kuki people living in the hills cannot currently go to Imphal, the administrative centre of Manipur, for collecting the document. Due to the internet shutdown, we are unable to facilitate this online. A circular has been issued by the Karnataka government based on our request.
What do you believe would be the steps to de-escalate this conflict?
Before this conflict, Kukis and Meiteis used to marry each other and shared so much space together. I know there have been past tensions about the formation of a separate Kuki state but right now we are compelled to ask for a separate state.
This is not the way we wanted it to happen at all, but right now we are compelled to ask for a separate administration. The demographic has been separated, there is no civilian movement between the Kuki and Meitei territories.
There are some stories of hope of Kukis and Meiteis protecting each other but answer this question — How can I send my children to Imphal when a BJP MLA Vungzagin Valte, who is the advisor of the Chief Minister, himself was attacked by a mob and lies paralysed now? If he is not safe, then how will the common people be safe?
The solution is to bring in President’s rule and then a separate administration for the Kuki-Zo people.
There is a claim that illegal immigrants coming from Myanmar are a problem.
There are only a small number of illegal immigrants. The Biren Singh government itself has said that the number of ‘illegal immigrants’ in Manipur is a few hundreds. (Manipur CM Biren Singh told the state assembly in February 2023 that there were 393 illegal immigrants in the state, of whom one was deported, 107 are in judicial custody, 105 are at detention centres, and 180 have been released on bail.)
Aren’t the intelligence agencies and border police officials doing their jobs? How can people say that many of the Kuki villages are sheltering illegal immigrants and they should go back? The Chief Minister says he is against illegal immigrants and not Kukis, but that is a lie.
Are you calling for central forces to be deployed in Manipur?
We want peace and we want central forces to be in charge of security. When there is a conflict between two communities here, why isn’t the Union government getting involved and sending more Assam Rifles and CRPF soldiers here? We need President’s rule to end the conflict.
The claim of ‘narco-terrorism’ is being used as an excuse to raid Kuki areas and label ordinary citizens as militants. We don't have enough money or weapons to attack the majority community. We are the minority here, so we cannot be aggressive. There are the insurgent groups Kuki National Army and Kuki National Front, but they are under suspension of operation. That is why ordinary people are being forced to take up arms when people are being killed.
There are reports of Kuki groups raiding armouries to seize and stock up on weapons. How are the Kuki groups that are defending their villages receiving weapons?
I cannot comment on this. But I want to ask how many police stations were looted by Meitei groups like Arambai Tenggol?
Over 4,000 weapons were looted from police armouries. Who is in-charge of this? The Chief Minister who is in charge of the Home Department. Isn’t it clear who has benefited from this? Everybody is aware who is to be blamed for the loot of police armouries.