Fringe groups demonising Kuki-Chin-Mizo, says KIM
Source: Chronicle News Service
Kangpokpi, May 29 2022:
Amidst an alleged disturbing groundswell of Kuki-Chin-Mizo phobia in the state, the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), the apex body of the Kuki tribes, has urged the people of Manipur to improve the quality of resilience against the insidious phenomenon of hate and racial crayoning.
In a press communique signed by its two vice presidents, Sominthang Doungel and Lal Robul Pudaite, KIM stated that in recent years hate-mongering and venom spewing against the Kuki-Chin-Mizo ethnic group seem to have become a new norm by a few fringe groups, whose raison d'etre is spreading hatred and animosity towards a particular ethnic group in the state and these small hitherto unknown fringe groups, aided by a few of their supporters, have been working airtime on the social media and all forms of communication are being exploited as platforms to promote this bigotry.
A handful of these hate-mongers have been building up false narratives and trying to dominate the public discourse coupled with incendiary rhetoric in a desperate bid to dehumanize, ostracise, and stigmatise their targeted ethnic group - the Kuki-Chin-Mizos, it said.
KIM said what is equally appalling in this whole charade is the double standards adopted by the administration - it is one of a static nature towards these propagators of hate; while adopting a military government like approach when it comes to cracking down anyone who speaks out their piece from the targeted ethnic group.
"If truth be told, the ad ministration has been selectively, selecting to whom the law applies to with full force in the state," it asserted and termed as truly regrettable that the essence of the rule of law in the state is not only misplaced, it is non-existent.
The stance adopted by the present ruling dispensation is ultra-vires and completely unconstitutional to say the least, and needless to say, it is in complete violation of The Rights to Equality (Articles 14-18), listed under the Fundamental Rights, enshrined in the Constitution of India, it pointed out.
KIM said: "What we have witnessed in the state recently is the result of the cumulative impact of the relentless 'villainizing' of one ethnic group, and any act of democratic forms of protest by the victimized ethnic group who are at the receiving end of "democratic deficit" is viewed further as a disruption of a project that seeks to make public spaces more exclusive, and hence was met with exaggerated responses in law and politics".
In a situation like this, the targeted and victimized ethnic group assumes hyperbolic significance; and even bona fide is already an indication of democratic deficit, which is the result of concerted hate directed towards a certain ethnic group over a period of time, it added.
It also said that all these vitriolic attacks against the Kuki-Chin-Mizo ethnic group of people, who are listed as scheduled tribes in the constitution of India, is also in gross violation of The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989) .
KIM then opined that every right-thinking citizen of the state must take a definite stand against those who are trying to weaponise hate for their own petty personal political gains and the loud voices of a few hate-hlled people on the fringes of the society should be prevented at all cost from moving into the mainstream.
It further said that "we must learn to have mutual respect for each other's histories, traditions, and cultures and focus our energies instead on building an equitable society of mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference, and peaceful co-existence" .
"Let us all work towards enhancing our resilience against such insidious phenomenon of hate and racial profiling, so that we will be in a position to strengthen the bonds of society...the Constitution is the supreme law of the land, and therein is clearly defined all things relating to the administration of the Union, the state, citizenship, rights, and privileges of the citizens, constitutional provisions for Scheduled Tribes, so as to avert any confusion or convulsion from any quarters," KIM concluded.
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