Missive to European Parliament debunks religious angle
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: July 25, 2023 -

AS almost the entire population of the European Union’s member nations are believers of Christianity it is unlikely that the letter of appreciation forwarded by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) addressed to the Union president Roberta Metsola, which detailed genesis of the violence in Manipur, would make much of a difference to the resolution that pitied plight of the religious minorities unmindful of the fact that the conflict has nothing to do with beliefs of the warring communities.

However, the COCOMI pointing out that the EU resolution made no mention about narco-terrorism, which is fuelling the ethnic conflict in the state, should at-least prod the conscience of leaders of the world’s most advanced nations.

In response to the European Parliament adopting a resolution on July 13 that called on the Indian authorities to take all necessary measures to stop the violence in Manipur and protect religious minorities, especially Christians, COCOMI coordinator jeetendra Ningomba, in the letter, categorically pointed out that the resolutions were guided by a wrong and misleading perspective, consequently making the powerful EU nations to interpret the violence as a conflict between the Christian minority and majority Meitei Hindu community.

While there is remote chance of the European Parliament withdrawing or amending the resolution, COCOMI’s missive makes it crystal clear that the problem currently besieging Manipur is not only limited to armed conflicts but also intense propaganda warfare by the Kuki civil societies with the ultimate objective to draw sympathy of the international communities.

In-spite of being one of the minority communities in the state, both in numbers and in religious affinity, it’s an undeniable fact that the Kuki instigated and triggered the ethnic clash.

For instance, substantial numbers of armed Kuki militants joining what was essentially civilians march from Churachandpur town till the Torbung Bangla village in the plains and setting on fire houses belonging to Meetei villagers on May 3 leaves nothing to doubt which community ignited the communal violence, from day one till date there had been relentless armed attacks on Meetei settlements only for the Kuki civil societies to cry foul and accuse the Meetei of executing ethnic cleansing pogrom with backing of the state machinery as and when the latter retaliate and inflict injuries or casualties on the Kuki.

Notably, it has become a trademark for the Kuki CSOs to project the victims as tribal village volunteers or Christians with the obvious aim to demonise the Meeteis with religious connotations in addition to contending that there is no involvement of Kuki armed outfits in the conflict.

The latter narrative is also no different from what authorities of the central security forces have been claiming that Kuki militants are confined in their respective SoO designated camps and the armouries are intact under the double-locking system.

Such narratives are, however, being debunked repeatedly as the injuries inflicted or casualties suffered by the Meetei victims are known to even ordinary citizens that they are not from pellets of licenced barrelled guns that the village volunteers are shown to wield through the national media but from automatic weapons.

As such, there is merit in COCOMI’s letter that the European Parliament overlooked the core issue of narco-terrorism and wholeheartedly sympathised with the Kuki people by virtue of their religion affiliation.