Poisoning the mind of Kuki-Chin people
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: September 04, 2023 -

TWISTING the facts to suit their own narratives is what the leaders of civil society groups of Kuki-Chin community in Manipur have been doing all along to further their demand for a separate administration.

They have done this even before May 3, on which the ongoing violent conflict between the Meitei/Meetei and Kuki-Chin communities first broke out in Churachandpur district, and they are still doing it without any compunction.

In the latest attempt of portraying the people of Kuki-Chin community as the victim of a "systematic ethnic cleansing" carried out by the majority Meitei/Meetei community, Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) has taken extra care to misrepresent the incident of evacuation of 24 residents from New Lambulane in Imphal to Motbung in Kangpokpi.

The evacuation or forcible eviction as claimed by the residents themselves was reportedly carried out by security personnel in the intervening night of September 1 and 2 but the apex body of the Kuki-Chin community has tried its level best to give a communal twist to the whole incident with an eye on furthering their demand for a separate administration.

In a press communique issued by its information and publicity secretary Janghaolun Haokip on September 2, KIM declared that it was a "dastardly attack against the last of the Zuki-Zo volunteers (numbering about 24 men) who have been guarding the houses of properties of the Kukis at New Lambulane, Imphal from the intermittent arson and looting of the boorish, blood thirsty Meiteis.

The volunteers were later escorted by security personnel and have safety reached our land despite the dread of the barbaric Meitei attack.

Hence, KIM hereby issue this declaration that there is now total separation of the Meiteis and the Kukis.

As such, it is imperative that the central government should constitutionally recognised this separation without any further delay".

Interestingly, the hollowness of the claim made by KIM has been exposed by none other than the evacuated residents themselves.

In a press release, the evacuated Residents made it very clear that "in the intervening night of Sept 1-2, 2023, a team of uniformed armed personnel claiming to be acting under directions of the Home Department came to New Lambulane, Imphal and forcibly evicted the last remaining residents of the last remaining Kuki locality in Imphal from our homes.

24 of us were not given time to even pack our belongings and we were literally herded into the waiting Casper bullet proof vehicles.

Many of us were woken from our sleep and pulled by our arms into the waiting vehicles with only the cloths we were wearing".

In addition to expressing strong displeasure at "the high-handed abduction like forcible evacuation executed" against the will of the residents and the "regret that a country like India is unwilling to ensure the life and security of its citizens at the place of their residence, succumbing to the intimidation of chaotic forces trying to destroy the society and the state", there is no mention anywhere of the "dastardly attack" supposedly carried out by the "blood thirsty Meiteis" on the last of the Zuki-Zo volunteers guarding the houses of properties of the Kukis at New Lambulane in Imphal in the press release signed jointly by Hejang Kipgen and Rev Prim Vaiphei.

By contradicting what the evacuated residents themselves are saying, one of whom is a renowned preacher who has dedicated his entire life to the mission of spreading the gospel message of truthful living and damnation, KIM has shown to what extent it could stoop to further the demand for a separate administration by spreading hatred against the Meitei/Meetei and poisoning the minds of Kuki-Chin people.