Gwaltabi Meeteis continues to weep as Imphal rejoices in Sangai festival 2015
Urang Pat Kukis to the rescue

Phanjoubam Chingkheinganba / Rustum Moirangthem *

Visitors on Sangai festival 2015

With colourful display of lightning along the main roads leading to the main venue of the ongoing Sangai festival 2015, heavy rush of traffic, and excitement of the local populace to see businessman and a few tourists from other countries, capital Imphal of Manipur is in ecstatic mood. The ten-day long annual festival of Manipur is the largest in the state and draws huge number of population from different parts of the state.

Ironically, barely three months back the state was embroiled with indefinite curfew, two month long agitation over the implementation of Inner Line Permit System and the subsequent violent reaction over the passing of the three bills which led to the death of nine persons in Churachandpur district of Manipur.

On April 30 this year, an extreme violence was perpetuated at the village of Gwaltabi wherein more than 300 Tangkhul tribal Nagas men of Thawai village descended into the small village of Gwaltabi, 27 km from Imphal, and wrecked havoc on the Gwaltabi village, destroying and damaging everything in sight, houses, vehicles and shops included.

Though the Meeteis are the majority ethnic group in the entire Imphal valley area, the village of Gwaltabi is inhabited by just 350 souls, including women and children. The incident which blew out of proportion had led several civil bodies to intervene so that communal violence does not erupt.

The act of vandalism by the tribal Tangkhul villagers of Thawai is much connected with the release of funds under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. The failure on the part of the state government to release the funds on time, made the All Tribal Chiefs’ Forum to impose a 24 hour bandh from the midnight of April.

However, recounting the horrors of the night, a teary-eyed woman Ibeyaima (name withheld) of Gwaltabi, said that they were not formally let known about the bandh and as a result of which many of them had gone from Gwaltabi for their respective works.

However, unlike in the past when any form of strike was conducted in Ukhrul district, that fateful day, the bandh supporters of the tribal Tangkhul Naga came down into the Imphal East district area nearby Gwaltabi and started damaging a passenger bus and a scooter to which the residents of Gwaltabi opposed citing many of their villagers had gone as they did not know about the bandh.

The Gwaltabi Meeteis asked them to shift the site of the bandh to the hill area to which the bandh activists opposed and allegedly used extremely harsh words leading to a brawl nearby at Mongneljang village inhabited by the Kuki ethnic tribes. The elders of Gwaltabi also informed that they too did not receive any funds related to MGNREGS just like that of Thawai Tangkhul village which led to the unwarranted tragedy.

Autorickshaw destroyed by mob of Tangkhul Thawai villages at Gwaltabi

The rumours which led to the conflict in Gwaltabi

Meanwhile, a brawl resulted in the injury between the bandh supporters and those against it, and those injured were taken by the women activists (Meira Paibis) and Manipur police personnel to PHC, Yaingangpokpi. However, she claimed that some of the bandh activists escaped and reported to their villagers that the ethnic Meetei had taken the life of some bandh supporters, enraging the villagers of Tangkhul Thawai village who promptly headed for Gwaltabi by gathering an irate mob of men armed with various weapons. She added the sound of the violent Tangkhul tribal Thawai villagers echoed everywhere which gave little time for the woman and the children of the village to flee.

Claiming that the one Mingam, a traditional minister, was the leader who led the mob, Yumnam Tomba who is a member of the local club of Gwaltabi informed they had pressed the concerned authorities including MLA Biren to arrest him, but failed in his endeavour.

The matter has been amicably settled now and normal life has returned to both the villages of Gwaltabi and Thawai Tangkhul due to the relentless efforts of the various civil bodies.

Lamlai OC Debkumar and Urang Pat Kukis to the immediate rescue

The most neighbouring village Urang Pat Kukis were the first who came to the rescue to the villagers of Gwaltabi Meeteis when the latter fled the rampages of the Thawai Tangkhul village. They provided shelter to the internally displaced Meeteis within the valley area, which is just 8% of the total geographical area of Manipur as the rest of the hills area occupies 92%, and gave them food and security on the night of that fateful day for which the Gwaltabi Meetei villagers are mostly grateful for, according to another women of the locality who wept while recounting the narrative of that day.

Allegedly, Tomba who claimed that the then personnel of Assam Rifles based at Yaingangpokpi Assam Rifles (AR) had reached the site of the violence on the fateful day before the Lamlai police personnel arrived. However, he continued that when some of the people of Gwaltabi were standing side by side with the outnumbered personnel of AR they allegedly retreated, although this cannot be confirmed.

However, the most commendable thing of Manipur police regarding the conflict on that particular day is mainly attributed to OC Debkumar of Lamlai PS and his personnel of Manipur police based at the area who did not step back an inch and continuously stood the ground and asked the violent instigators to not carry out their act of violence even though there was no fighting.

Remarkably, the locals of Gwaltabi were extremely grateful towards OC Debkumar for standing his ground against the violent villagers from the Thawai Tangkhul who were mostly in their inebriated state. Ibeyaima also affirmed the personnel of Manipur police (Lamlai PS) did whatever they can to save the innocent villagers from the rampages.

Compensation row and displeasures

Mostly uneducated and farmers, Gwaltabi Meeteis had given their consent to one Rajesh of the same locality to make a list of those who were to receive the compensation from the government, claimed the Secretary. However, to the extreme surprise of the people, this Rajesh, who is reported to be a worker of the MLA of the constituency, made up a list according to which the benefits were to receive to those who had suffered the damages, added the Secretary.

He continued that during the distribution of the compensation from the government side, Rajesh allegedly manipulated in such a manner that only Rs 20, 000 to Rs 30, 000 were to be given to those who had suffered the most damages while some of the residents whose houses were not affected at all received an approx of Rs 3 lakhs, added the furious elderly Tomba thereby leading to internal conflict within Gwaltabi itself. Rajesh who is in his late twenties has left the village had earlier assured the villagers that he had made the list for the benefits of all, said Tomba who added the issue still remains a matter of serious trouble even today.

Another important thing to be noticed is that during the time when the tension was high, two of the largest civil bodies of the Imphal Valley and other bodies had visited Gwaltabi continuously to ensure that communal violence does not break out.

The Secretary further claimed that these civil bodies had assured them that they would do whatever they can in their capacity to help the Gwaltabi villagers. Unfortunately, after the tension subsided, these civil bodies allegedly turned away their attention and did not take up much effort to ensure that the compensation was properly distributed to the concerned villagers or not, concluded the Secretary.