Imphal: The Meitei Resurgence Group Monday accused the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), a leading Kuki-Zo organisation of deliberately misinforming as well as misguiding the Kuki community concerning the recent violence in Manipur.
Their declaration, released on March 10 2024, following their 30th Assembly in Geljang, Churachandpur (March 6th-9th), falsely claims that “Meiteis started the war” on Kukis. This assertion is demonstrably untrue and a complete fabrication. In actuality, the evidence points to Kuki aggression initiating the violence against the Meitei community, T. Premananda, president of the Group said in a statement.
The violent upheaval in Manipur erupted when members of the Kuki community brazenly launched attacks, torching homes belonging to the Meiteis in Kuki-dominated districts and surrounding areas of the Imphal Valley region. Let’s be unequivocal: this wasn’t a case of the majority turning on the minority. No, it was the minority Kukis who initiated the aggression against the Meiteis, instigated and emboldened by the support of armed militant groups, it added.
These militant groups, affiliated with the Kuki-Zomi groups, have been enjoying a de facto ceasefire agreement with the Indian government since 2005, officially formalized in 2008. Under their aegis, Kuki organisations felt no compunction in trampling upon the sentiments of the Meiteis.
Let’s not overlook the utter disdain Kuki organizations exhibit toward other communities. A prime example is the audacious land claims made by these groups. On November 26, 2020, the Manipur Government started the process of declaring some areas at Mt. Koubru and Mt. Thangjing as protected sites, acknowledging their historical and cultural significance. The
The intention was to declare Ibudhou Thangjing (approx. 4 hectares), the sacred site of Lord Koubru (approx. 2 hectares) located at Thangjing Hill range, and Lai Pukhri (approx. 4 hectares) located at Koubru hill range as protected sites. Yet, certain Kuki organisations have shamelessly asserted false ancestral ties to these sacred sites, completely disregarding the profound sentiments of the Meiteis and other communities.
These sites, revered by the Meiteis and other indigenous communities of Manipur for their deep-rooted significance in their cosmogony, are subjected to egregious disrespect. Despite being well aware of the sanctity attached to these locations, Kuki organizations have unilaterally imposed absurd restrictions, even going as far as demanding permission from their village chiefs for pilgrims to visit these sacred religious sites.
Adding insult to injury, Kuki-Zomi militants recently defiled Mt. Thangjing by erecting a colossal Christian Cross, an act of sacrilege against a site sacred to another religious community. Yet, the outcry from the Christian community is conspicuously absent. It’s a grotesque hypocrisy: when their places of worship are attacked, Christians rightfully unite in condemnation, but when their symbol is used to desecrate another’s sacred ground, they remain eerily silent. Can there be a more outrageous display of double standards?
Therefore, the recent declaration by the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), falsely accusing the Meiteis of initiating violence against the Kukis, is a blatant distortion of the truth. Evidence unequivocally shows that it was the Kuki community that instigated the violent upheaval in Manipur by launching attacks on Meitei homes in Kuki-dominated areas. This aggression, fuelled by the support of armed militant groups affiliated with Kuki-Zomi groups, underscores the disregard for the sentiments of the Meiteis and other indigenous communities.
Kuki Inpi Manipur should have the courage to speak the truth that it was the Kuki community who started aggression against the Meiteis. They must stop their attempts to mislead the common people and confront the reality of their actions.
