DON'T CRY FOR ME, MANIPUR!

 DON'T CRY FOR ME, MANIPUR!

Appalled, disgusted and feeling a great sense of betrayal after seeing  clips of incitement to kill, loot and targetted hatred. But at the same time, I pity the perpetrators of such inhumane crime. They may take lives and destroy hard earned property and wealth but in the process they have lost their humanity and the long arm of the law awaits them.  The truth will eventually emerge.

Where are the voices of the majority who I believe did not get swayed by the radicals? Where were the meeteis who we called friends and neighbours? I have refrained from joining the tit for tat rhetorics that our two communities are engaged in even after we have suffered so much. These video evidences compelled me speak up. There was a generation of Manipuris brought up on the ideals of Pan Manipur and Hingminasi Ekhoi ( peaceful co-existence and fraternal bonds amongst all communities). Where art thou?It is the natural order of things that every person will sympathise with their community at times like these, no one can point fingers at anyone for their bias. However, the excesses that has been reported first hand from victims from Imphal catchment area points towards a sinister design at play, now who is responsible? It is incumbent upon us to identify all perpetrators irrespective of the community they belong to and then appropriate detrimental punishment (as per the law) must be meted out to restore what we had as Manipuris.

By burning the houses and churches of your brethren Kuki community in Imphal and those of the meetei community in hill districts, you have burned the very concept of Pan and pax Manipur? It seems you have brought us to the point of no return but I pray that time and history will prove you wrong. 

To those who planned and led this mayhem in Manipur, I ask you what do you gain by losing your humanity? Was there any genuineness in your forever posturing as the big brother community in Manipur and talks of peaceful co-existence and Manipur Integrity?

But this much is clear from all the video evidences emerging from the mayhem.

1. It is true that both Meetei and Kuki households and villages were burnt down and destroyed in the hill districts and Imphal city and there are casualties from both communities. Meeteis blame Kukis and vice versa and there are endless claims and counter claims as to who started the whole thing. This is an exercise in futility as is the big talk of the CM for peace and compensation after he let the whole town burn, we were and are still let down by the top leadership in the state and the country. The PM is yet to condemn  the violence and the HM has not set foot in Manipur. Of course, we do not matter in the overall political calculus - we sent a mere 2 MPs to the parliament. Who do you think lose at the end?

2.The coordinated attacks on Kuki colonies in Imphal and Kuki villages allegedly led by the state's elite commando and Aramba Tengol  reveals an unseen hand guiding our valley brethrens. The Kukis are also reported to have fought back in defence of their villages. This was to be expected.

At the time of writing this piece,  the Tribal community appears to stand on a higher moral ground as no report of extreme hate and targetted killing of meeiteis in cold blood have surfaced. If such incidents have taken place, we, the tribals and Kukis in particular, would not say what is wrong is OK just because the perpetrators belong to our community.

Can my meeitei brothers dare to stand up for your humanity and identify the perpetrators of inhumane crimes? Otherwise I am afraid as a community you would have lost direction as a whole. Where were the valley CSOs who claim to represent our collective consciousness of pan Manipur? The Kuki Inpi President was also rendered a refugee in a CRPF camp in Lamphel and there was no way he could appeal for calm and peace.

3.There are reports of Kuki women in Lamka town forming a human chain and preventing loss of innocent lives (east mojo reportage & times of India). In contrast to what happened in Ccpur and Kuki areas where the innocent were protected from harm from unruly youths who were guided by extreme emotions. ( As per our verification from video clip) In  Imphal no one came out to stop the marauding mob instead there are videos of people using PA system encouraging the mob to kill Kukis. If such a thing happened in Hill districts, share your evidence we will condemn the unforgivable and help identify the perpetrators. We can't shirk from our responsibility. 

The Kukis were subjected to fear and intimidating tactics in the capital of Manipur. The trauma will not be easy to overcome. The way the mob had acted has eroded generations of goodwill built up from the time of the Meeitei Kingdom. It is heartening to know of a meeitei friend from Khongampat risking his life to save some 20 kuki women and children. We would like to hear such stories (Schindler's List) from Imphal. Till date, it appears the majority of the good people had decided to remain silent akin to the good German people who just stood by while the Nazi hate machine crushed the very soul of its people and the Jews in particular.

4. The scale and systematic destruction of tribal (kuki) colonies in Imphal points to a bigger design and high coordination in the so called mindless mob riots. The state has not remained neutral in this. How is it possible that more than a thousand plus guns were snatched? Or was it given willingly? These are questions that need to be answered. The State through its DGP has requested people to submit back the guns without repercussions? Is this the way to secure our future. People who run amok murdering their own state's people in cold blood cannot be given easy redemption. Such an act cannot restore the chasm that these small miniscule section of our populace has engineered. The state is duty bound to act against anyone who is involved in such act. This is the basic minimum to restore trust in rule of law.

5. On the 4 May, two young girls from Khopibung in Saikul subdivision -  Lhingneithem Olivia Chongloi  and Florence Hangshing who were staying in a rented house in Imphal were raped and killed after they were handed over to meetei miscreants. They may have expected their landlord to protect them but he chose to look the other way. As they lie dead and desecrated, their blood cries out for justice. As far as I can recall, this is the lowest of crimes every Manipuri detest. (The news of a meeitei nurse working in Churachandpur/Lamka being raped and killed had spread like wildfire in Imphal though it was later clarified by her father that it was a baseless rumour.) Can one inhumane act justify another ?

6. Haominlen Chongloi, a young teen, lies headless in a Morgue in an Army camp in Leimakhong. The mob reportedly dragged him down from the Army convoy he had volunteered to accompany. It was not enough to just kill him, his head was taken away as a trophy. No matter which community you hail from, is this a condonable act? Can't fathom why there is so much hate? The clip of an elderly person person from a Vaiphei Kuki village kicked and punched to death should be a reason to pause and think. Where is the source of such hatred? We need to find the source, if we are to heal.

7. The video evidence of valley based miscreants escorted by the state police in front of Palace Compund on their way to destroy a small pocket of Kuki colony called 'Haokip Veng', which is located in the heart of Imphal city at a stone's throw distance from the CM's Bangalow is proof of collusion and involvement of those who were supposed to protect us and safeguard our properties. The colony was burnt down in broad daylight in the presence of police, who had prevented resistance by resident Kukis but allowed rampant vandalism by the Meitei miscreants. The event was taking place on 5th May 2023, a day after *Shoot at Sight* order was promulgated by the state govt. This is just a tip of the iceberg on how the state police under the direct command of CM had escorted Meitei miscreants to attack many Kuki villages located in the foothills and catchment area of Imphal valley in outright violation of the shoot at sight order. Meanwhile thousands of tribals who took shelter in various concentration camps under inhuman living conditions were never visited nor provided any relief material. This is why the CM has lost the trust of the Tribals and he is called the communal CM. The state govt. claim of return of normalcy has infuriated the victims. What will happen to students whose education has been abruptly interrupted and the livelihood of families who are rendered homeless?

Who will give us answers and give justice to the victims?

Do not talk of monetary compensation before delivering justice? And for the record, do not cry for us, Manipur.

Deliver justice today and then  maybe we can think of tomorrow.