PAPPM recounts 2015 attacks on Meitei in Moreh
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, August 20 2024: In remembrance of the attack on Meitei community by a group of members from Kuki community during a peaceful rally gathered in Moreh on August 18, 2015, People's Alliance for Peace and Progress Manipur (PAPPM) observed August 18 as a day dedicated to protecting the indigenous people of Manipur from illegal immigrants.

In a release, PAPPM president M Bobby Meetei said that the day will be observed every year to highlight the threat posed by illegal immigrants to the indigenous populations of Northeast India, particularly Manipur, and to underscore their impact on national security.

It recalled that on August 18, 2015, as the peaceful rallyists gathered in Moreh to voice their demands for the implementation of ILP in Manipur, they were met with violent opposition from a group of members from the Kuki community resulting in injuries to several rallyists.

The attackers set fire to the buildings of Meitei Council, Moreh (MCM) and Kha-Nongpok Apunba Nupi Lup, as well as several shops and properties owned by members of the Meitei community.

It is surprising that some members of Kuki community, supported by influential figures within the group, view the ILP - a mechanism designed to protect the rights of indigenous people and widely welcomed by tribal and indigenous communities across Northeast India - as a threat.

However, the attack and arson on Meitei houses on May 3, 2023 by a Kuki mob, supported by armed militants, triggered a severe backlash in the Imphal valley because of the failure of the security forces to protect the Meiteis in Kuki-dominated areas.

Since then, various Kuki organisations have engaged in a misleading campaign, falsely claiming that the violence was initiated by the Meiteis and encouraged by the chief minister.

The recently released doctored audio, circulated in the media, is also part of this deceptive narrative, he observed and added that the violence is premeditated, as was evident by the attack on a peaceful rally in Moreh on August 18, 2015 .

It is incorrect to claim that the violence began on May 3, 2023 .

Rather, it is essential to recognise that the violence towards the Meitei community began on August 18, 2015, Bobby maintained.

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