Retract statement : STDCM to CM
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 02 2024: On behalf of the indigenous Meitei/Meetei community, the Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee of Manipur (STDCM) has urged Chief Minister N Biren Singh to retract his statement attributing the root cause of the ongoing crisis to the High Court order issued on March 27, 2023 concerning Meitei/Meetei community's ST status demand.

The Chief Minister made the assertion during the ongoing Budget session of the State Assembly yesterday.

In a press release issued by general secretary, K Bhogendrajit, STDCM pointed out that the statement is in stark contrast to the Chief Minister's previous assertions wherein he categorically said that infiltration by illegal immigrants, eviction of encroachers in Reserved and Protected Forests, war on drugs etc are the root causes of the crisis.

Even though the crisis erupted on May 3, 2023, the day the All Tribal Students' Union, Manipur (ATSUM) organized a solidarity march in protest against the Manipur High Court order, both ground and media reports have shown that the violent incidents broke out only in some areas dominated by the Kuki and allied tribes particularly in Churachandpur, Moreh and Kangpokpi, said the STDCM statement.

It continued to reason that if the root cause of the crisis had been Meitei/Meetei's ST status demand, then violence should also have occurred in other areas dominantly inhabited by the non-Kuki tribes of the State.

STDCM maintained that the Chief Minister's statement might mislead the public including those outside Manipur at the National and global level about the actual root causes of the crisis.

Refuting and rejecting the statement, STDCM has urged N Biren Singh to retract his statement lest it would be tantamount to endorsing fake and misinformation campaign carried out by a particular group to divert the narrative from the actual root cause of the current crisis to serve their hidden agenda.

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