Delhi rally calls for peace, condemns aggression by external forces
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 04 2023: Thousands from the Meitei community held a peace demonstration at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi on Sunday.

The rally called for restoration of peace and normalcy in Manipur which is being besieged by a violent crisis since May 3 .

The participants also unequivocally condemned divisive politics triggered by drug mafia and armed militant groups (Chin-Kuki-Zo), supported by their political class.

The mindless violence has resulted in irreparable loss of life and property on both sides.

Whether it is the Kukis or the Meiteis, the painful story of the victims is the same.

In most cases, it is the innocent civilians who face the brunt of this carnage, many speakers pointed out during the rally.

The rally held under the banner of Manipur Coordination Committee (Delhi), a conglomerate of Manipur CSOs and student organizations of Delhi, and supported by democratic groups from other parts of India, suggested few points for the Government of India's consideration.

Delhi rally calls for peace, condemns aggression by external forces

These points include:
This violence is orchestrated by the drug mafia and Kuki militants, and further endorsed by the political class.

And the unassuming Meitei public have fallen prey to this provoked retaliatory action.

Since the start of the violence in Manipur on May 3, 2023, there has been a lot of fake news and false propaganda being circulated in social media, national and international news channels.

Meiteis have been projected as perpetrators of violence in the valley districts.

However, burning of Meitei houses in the Kuki dominated areas of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts are not brought to light.

Whereas in the ensuing violence, both sides have suffered massive destruction of property and loss of lives, and such fake news are still circulating in the social media.

It is only aggravating the situation and is becoming a hurdle in bringing back normalcy which has resulted in creating a big division amongst the two communities.

The reality behind the facade of anti-reservation protest lies a web of well-crafted actions by a nexus of Kuki militants, frontal organisations, intellectuals and politicians.

Even after 30 days of the eruption of the violence, several Meitei houses at Sugunu in Kakching district continued to be set on fire by Kuki militants on June 3, 2023 .

After ten days, despite deployment of Indian army and paramilitary forces, the Meetei village of Torbung Bangla was set on fire by Kuki militants on May 13.Even more, two houses were razed to the ground by Kuki militants at Dolaithabi, Imphal East on May 20 .

On the night of June 3, 2023, 200 Meitei houses, including the house of the local MLA were burnt down by the Kuki militants at Sugnu.

These show not only the quantum of vengeance but also a well-planned strategy to consolidate Kuki lebensraum (space sought for occupation by a Nation whose population is expanding) in several foothills of the Imphal valley and wipe out the Meiteis from these areas.

So far, nearly 1800 families of 13 Meitei villages were completely wiped out from Churachandpur district, Manipur.

Kuki militants selectively torched Meitei houses not once but thrice at Ingourok Chingmang at Leimakhong near Leimakhong army camp.

Strangely, the place where Meitei houses were burnt down repeatedly was guarded by Assam Rifles.

Moreover, all the shops owned by Meiteis at Leimakhong have been looted, Kuki militants are now building bunkers inside abandoned Meitei houses.

Several seminars are conducted using academic space across the country on Manipur violence.

Each of these proceedings does not fail to mention about vandalizing churches in the Imphal valley.

While this is an unfortunate turn of event, it was retaliatory act driven by violent mob psyche.

The anger against the Kuki aggression orchestrated by Kuki militants led to retaliatory consequences that affected Kuki churches.

Nevertheless, in the violent act of arson, sanity prevailed and the Naga churches (also some Kuki churches) were left largely untouched.

Unfortunately till now, more than 3000 secret places of Sanamahi God of Sanamahi religion have been burnt down by Kuki militants and 11 temples of Sanamahi religion and three Hindu temples have been burnt down by Kuki militants.

The first Ebuthou Pakhangba Temple of Sanamahi religion was burnt down in Churachandpur on 27 April 2023 seven days before the actual violence broke out on May 3.In 2020, the Kounu temple was burnt down by miscreants in Kangpokpi district.

The Kuki-Chin-Zo population of Myanmar and India, if put together outnumbers any indigenous population of Manipur.

The uninterrupted migration across the border have led to unnatural surge of Kuki-Chin-Zo population, thus leading to huge demographic imbalances.

Between the Indian census of 1951 and 2011, the number of Kuki population has risen from 80,002 to 4,48,532.The unnatural growth is due to illegal migration.

The illegal immigration has been going on for many decades and it is mainly attributed to the long term conflict in Myanmar and the Kuki-Chin population is spread largely around the porous border of India and Myanmar along Manipur and Mizoram up to Bangladesh.

As assured by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the implementation of National Register of Citizens (NRC) during his visit to Manipur, there is a necessity to identify all foreigners who entered Manipur after 1951 .

Implementation of the NRC in Manipur as envisaged for other parts of the Indian Union and institution of State Population Commission should now be on the Government of India's top agenda.

Ecological threat and challenges due to Poppy Plantation

Every informed citizens know that poppy plantation is and has been a huge threat to all humanity and Manipur.

North Eastern States have been a victim of it environmentally and ecologically.

The scale of poppy cultivation in Manipur has spread across 15,497 acres of land in the hills between 2017 and 2023, according to data from the States Special Anti-drugs unit, Narcotics and Affairs of Border (NAB) .

Of the 15,497 acres of land where poppy cultivation was found in the past five years, 13,122 acres were found in the Kuki-Chin dominated areas.

It is also a known fact that most poppy plantations are supervised by armed miscreants from across the Indo-Myanmar border who have amassed massive profit out of illegal poppy plantations and drugs smuggling.

The current situation is likely to cause further ecological imbalance leading to massive deforestation, irregular rainfall, muddy flash floods, rise of temperature due to which the State has been facing huge challenges in disaster management from the last decade.

Poppy plantation and ecological threats are affecting not just Manipur but the entire North East and the country at large.



Narco-terrorism and underlying nexus

Narco-terrorism is a huge threat to National Security and there are enough evidence of the involvement of armed militants under SoO (Suspension of Operation) as well as non-SoO groups in funding of poppy plantations and drug trafficking.

Now, many legislators are directly or indirectly in the poppy and drug business.

The ongoing civil war in Myanmar is also resulting in infiltration of many Kuki militants who are largely Myanmar Nationals into Manipur through Kuki dominated areas.

Manipur is now under threat to become the new Golden Triangle and if this remains unchecked this will result into a massive National security threat and lead to irreparable damage.

Topography, Land laws and Land rights

Manipur has been facing a unique problem with 90% of the population residing in the 10 % of the valley land in Imphal and surrounding areas.

Anyone can come and buy land including non-indigenous population whereas the Meiteis who are in the general category cannot buy any land in the hills which constitutes 90% of the State's land.

There is imbalance in the right to possession of land, creating a rift between the valley dwellers (Meiteis) and the hill dwellers.

Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms Act, 1960 needs to be reviewed.

The entire State of Manipur should be declared a "Hill State", and the divide between the hills and the valley must be erased.

We demand:

Bring back peace & harmony in Manipur;
Enforce rule of law and protect the lives and properties of Meetei and Kukis;
Constitutional protection of Meetei and Meetei Pangal (Manipur Muslim) people of Manipur;
Protect religious places of both Sanamahi temple, Hindu temple and churches in Manipur;
Stop illegal infiltration from Myanmar;
Stop Narco-terrorism;
Protect Manipur hills from ecological threat and challenges due to poppy plantation;
Immediate abrogation of SoO pact with Kuki militants and disarming Meetei youths ( No disarming of Meitei youths without abrogation of SoO pact with Kuki militants);
Stop making another Golden Triangle in Manipur hills;
Maintain and protect the co-existence and territorial and administrative integrity of Manipur;
Take action against foreign militants and protect National security of India; And Constitutional protection of the Meiteis.