Manipur crisis: Diluting false narratives of Meetei bashers
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: February 27, 2025 -

THOUGH it is unlikely that discourses held here in the state to counter misinformation campaigns at the national and global levels on the Manipur crisis would have any immediate impact and change the narratives heavily tilted against the Meetei community, it seems Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has made the right move to solicit opinions of the intellectual circle and place the inputs for introspection by the public through the mass media.

Ever since the Kuki-Meetei conflict broke out in May 2023, debates on national news channels and podcasts are being held with the anchors making it a point to ensure that the participants get equal opportunity to air their views.

It is also equally important to note that the Kuki intellectuals have successfully highlighted their side of the stories on global platforms such as CNN, Al Jazeera, and DW News, contrary to the Meetei representatives struggling to present the community's perspective even in the national media.

Such a trend is not a recent phenomenon but continuing ever since the government enforced internet shutdown, completely scuttling individual efforts to make the real voices heard.

Even if certain false narratives have been eventually neutralised effectively and the ground reality consequently exposed the lies told to the global audience taking advantage of the absence of internet service for a protracted period, the fact remains that handful of social media influencers have been sharing ground report that not only the Kuki public but the Meetei population is also impacted by the violence, thereby serving as a vital means to negate the false propaganda of Meetei projected as the aggressors.

Notably, the Kuki-Chin-Mizo intellectuals seem to have done elaborate planning on all levels well before outbreak of the violence, thereby aiding them in taking control and having the upper hand in shaping the narrative of the conflict and making the Meetei people and leaders subjects of intense scrutiny by the international fraternity.

Therefore, it is not surprising that some of the panellists with military background who spoke at the 'Manipur Ki Baat' programme held on February 18 in New Delhi, intentionally or inadvertently portrayed the Meetei people in poor light and as aggressors in the conflict rather than acknowledge that the crisis started when Kuki youths in hundreds aided by some well-armed persons targeted Meetei people and settlements close to the Churachandpur district border.

Accepted that the Meetei too retaliated, looted arms from police armouries and occasionally attacked Kuki villages as the violence raged, but a glance at the statistics available will prove that Kuki armed groups account for maximum of the attacks on Meetei villages in the fringe areas but still managed to play the victim card, accused the now-resigned chief minister N Biren of orchestrating the attacks and claimed to be one of the lost tribes of Israel but felt offended on being called illegal immigrants.

That the panel members, those with military backgrounds to be specific, who demonised the Meetei community during the New Delhi discourse, were bereft of fairness in their concept and comments has been exposed when the National Investigation Agency confirmed drone bombings on Koutruk and Kadangband Meetei villages despite both in-service and retired military officers repeatedly denying use of drones in attacking the Meetei villages.

Thus, it hoped that clarifications and counter-charges made during the COCOMI's live panel discussion on February 25 will make the Meetei bashers ponder over seriously before articulating false narratives for reasons best known to themselves.