New Delhi:

The central and the state governments must restore peace in violence-hit Manipur quickly and rebuild the destroyed homes of internally displaced people, according to students from the northeast who participated at a peaceful protest in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Tuesday.

They raised their voice against attempts to divide Manipur. Some of the placards read “no separate administration,” “peaceful coexistence for everyone,” “save territorial integrity of Manipur”, etc which are the common themes in the Manipur crisis.

The MLAs, civil society organisations, and ceasefire-linked insurgent groups of the Kukis tribes dominant in some hill areas of Manipur have been speaking in the same language in demanding what they call a “separate administration” carved out of Manipur.

The disruptions caused by the ethnic violence that began in May 2023 have deeply affected young people in the state, the organisers of the “Save Manipur” protest said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Manipur’s peace and harmony are of paramount importance, and must be prioritised. The indigenous people must maintain unity by setting aside differences introduced as a result of the British occupation. Elements that seek to create anti-national sentiments must not be allowed to succeed. The Indian national interest and the interests of Manipur’s indigenous people are one and the same,” historian and geopolitical analyst Abhijit Chavda, who was one of the six speakers at the protest, told the gathering.

READ | Video: Displaced Families In Violence-Hit Manipur Move Into Newly Built Housing Complex

Mr Chavda drew attention to the crisis in neighbouring Myanmar and its spillover effects in the northeast region, especially in Manipur and Mizoram, which is just across Myanmar’s Chin State.

Colonel Kishore Chand (retired) said government agencies have been working tirelessly to help families of people killed in the clashes, thousands of internally displaced people, and those who were injured in the violence.

“We are confident that the perpetrators of these heinous crimes will be brought to book and justice will be delivered to the wronged,” he said.

The four others also spoke on the theme of keeping Manipur’s territorial integrity intact; they are Colonel Shanti Kumar Sapam (retired), social activists Elizabeth Kh and Rajshree Kumari, and Delhi University Assistant Professor Dr M Ojit Kumar Singh.

Ms Kumari thanked the students for taking the initiative to hold the protest at Jantar Mantar in the national capital – the first by a student body from the Meitei community since May 2023 – and asked them to focus on what is at stake and protect it at all cost.

READ | End Ceasefire With All Kuki-Zo Insurgent Groups: Manipur Assembly Unanimous Resolution

While the protest was organised by the Manipur Innovative Youth Organisation (MAIYOND) and the United Kakching Students (UNIKAS) Delhi, they said the North East Students’ Society from Delhi University gave support in solidarity. A representative of the NE Students’ Society said students from this region of the country should stay united when they are away from home.

Hundreds of students from northeast states, cutting across communities and tribes, came to the protest at Jantar Mantar to show support, the organisers said. “MIAYOND and UNIKAS stand firm in our position that any form of division, whether territorial or ideological, only serves to weaken the fabric of society,” they said in the statement.

The Kuki tribes and the Meiteis have been fighting over a range of issues such as land rights and political representation. There are many villages of the Kuki tribes in the hills surrounding the Meitei-dominated valley. The clashes have killed over 220 people and internally displaced nearly 50,000.

The ‘general’ category Meiteis want to be included under the Scheduled Tribes category, while the Kukis who share ethnic ties with people in neighbouring Myanmar’s Chin State and Mizoram want a separate administration, citing discrimination and unequal share of resources and power with the Meiteis.

Nearly two dozen Kuki-Zo insurgent groups that have signed the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the Centre and the state government, Kuki groups such as the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) and the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), and Kuki MLAs have been demanding the same thing – a separate administration. This demand has brought all of them on the same stage.

Imphal:

The demand for an ethnocentric homeland is untenable and obsolete in Manipur, where at least 35 communities co-exist, a group of activists and academics from the violence-hit state bordering Myanmar has said at a side event of the 57th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva.

Manipur is seeing the growth of divisive forces that play the cards of myopic ethnicity leading to the undermining of historical and legal foundations of the state’s pluralistic demography and territoriality, said Dr Arambam Noni, associate professor at Imphal-based DM University.

“Due to the increasing weaponization of ethnicity by a section of elites and academics, as seen in the case of an exclusive narrative for a Kuki Lebensraum in India-Myanmar-Bangladesh region, there is an apparent design to proliferate inter-ethnic tension as an instrument to segregate people exclusively on ethnic lines,” Dr Noni said.

He said such ethno-centric claims were not only obsolete, but also Balkanized the multicultural polities and undermined democratic foundations of modern states. “There is a need for discouraging ethnocentric claims and politics,” he added.

Nearly two dozen tribes known as Kukis – a term given by the British in colonial times – who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur, and the valley-dominant Meitei community have been fighting since May 2023 over a range of issues such as land rights, political representation, and share of state finance. The conflict has killed over 220 people and internally displaced some 50,000.

The tension in Manipur is a byproduct of ethnic weaponization and a desire to sanitise demography in favour of exclusive ethnic homelands, Dr Noni said, adding transborder factors such as drugs trade, shifting of massive poppy cultivation from Myanmar to Manipur, human-trafficking, displacement due to turmoil in Myanmar, and congregation of new ethnic groups in Manipur had played significant roles in
escalating inter-ethnic anxieties in the state.

Dr Noni highlighted what he alleged were dangers of weaponizing ethnicity for the reason that in the name of “ethnic homelands”, micro tribes in the India-Myanmar border region were either suppressed or coerced to submit to the dominant ethnic ambitions. He appealed for urgent restoration of normalcy in Manipur.

The internally displaced people from both communities in Manipur are yet to return home. The 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs and Kuki civil society groups have said talks are not possible unless Chief Minister N Biren Singh quits. The Kuki tribes also blame him for allegedly starting the Manipur crisis; they have reinforced this allegation with the leaked tapes controversy.

Kuki leaders have demanded a political solution in the form of a separate administration before any other issues, including the return of thousands of people living in relief camps, can be discussed. Meitei leaders have cited this condition to allege that Kuki leaders are engineering an ethnocentric homeland demand; their argument is that talks can go on while at the same time people living in difficult conditions in the camps can also return home since no territory is ethnic exclusive.

At the Geneva event, Khuraijam Athouba, working president of the civil society group International Peace and Social Advancement, alleged several Chin-Kuki insurgent groups have transnational origins.

The session was moderated by Dr Elangbam Bishwajeet, visiting professor at Britain’s Aston University. The other speakers were human rights defender Punam Duhotia and Dilara Malique, adviser to the Swiss Bangladesh Women Association.

Imphal/Guwahati/New Delhi:

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh today called a meeting of all MLAs to discuss the situation in the violence-hit state and the rescue of two men kidnapped by who he claimed were “Kuki militants”.

A video has been shared widely on social media where two men from the valley-dominant Meitei community were seen asking the Chief Minister to “save our lives”. The two men, in white T-shirts, also asked Mr Singh to agree to the demand of their kidnappers immediately.

NDTV could not independently verify the video.

“… Addressed the current situation in the state particularly focusing on the rescue of the abduction of two innocent youths by Kuki militants. We condemn such heinous acts and our government is working to secure the safe release of the victims,” Mr Singh said in posts on X and Facebook.

READ | Manipur High Court Cancels ‘Default Bail’ Granted To Man Charged Under UAPA In “Republic Of Kukiland” Case

Three men from the Meitei community had gone to participate at an army recruitment event when they were kidnapped, the parents of one of the three men who the army rescued yesterday told local media.

The security forces could not trace the other two yesterday, Manipur Police sources told NDTV. They declined to give details about the demand raised by the kidnappers, citing operational security.

The kidnappers thrashed the rescued man, identified as Ningombam Johnson Singh, police sources said, adding his cheeks had swelled, his body had multiple bruises and his hand had a wound that needed to be bandaged.

The two missing men have been identified as Oinam Thoithoi Singh and Thokchom Thoithoiba Singh. Their parents have on social media appealed to the kidnappers to release them unharmed.

Social media posts by members of the Meitei community alleged the kidnappers have demanded the release of Mark Thangmang Haokip, 39, who the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had arrested on May 30, 2022 on charges of waging war against India and working against the nation to create an “independent Government of the People’s Democratic Republic of Kukiland”, according to the First Information Report (FIR).

Police sources have not confirmed this alleged demand being widely circulated on social media.

If the demand for Mark Thangmang Haokip to be freed from the NIA, however, turns out to be true, then the kidnappers can be considered to be hardcore militants, and should not be misidentified as ‘village defence volunteers’ of the Kuki tribes in the context of the Manipur ethnic violence, sources said.

READ | Manipur Oil Leak Accident Or Sabotage? Some Unanswered Questions

There are many villages of the Kuki tribes in the hills surrounding the Meitei-dominated valley. The clashes between the Meitei community and the nearly two dozen tribes known as Kukis – a term given by the British in colonial times – who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur, has killed over 220 people and internally displaced nearly 50,000.

The general category Meiteis want to be included under the Scheduled Tribes category, while the Kukis who share ethnic ties with people in neighbouring Myanmar’s Chin State and Mizoram want a separate administration carved out of Manipur, citing discrimination and unequal share of resources and power with the Meiteis.

Imphal/Guwahati:

The Kuki-Zo tribes in Manipur have asked their community to be vigilant between September 26 and 29, days after the Manipur Security Adviser confirmed in a press conference that some “900 Kuki militants” trained in jungle warfare and use of weaponised drones have entered the violence-hit state from neighbouring Myanmar.

The Kuki Inpi Manipur in a statement refuted the allegations of infiltration from Myanmar, and alleged the intelligence report confirmed by the Security Adviser Kuldiep Singh was baseless and part of a larger narrative, possibly intended to justify aggression against the Kuki-Zo tribes.

“All Kuki-Zo people are urged to refrain from organising or attending public events until September 28, 2024, to prevent any possible escalation of violence,” the Kuki Inpi Manipur said, apart from calling a complete shutdown in areas in Manipur where the Kuki tribes are dominant.

The Kuki Inpi Manipur said it plans to hold a press conference on September 28 to reveal what it claims are the “ulterior motives of the state government and certain radical Meitei groups”.

Meitei civil society groups, responding to what they called “fear mongering” by Kuki groups, alleged the foreign militants who the intelligence report had flagged could attack Meitei villages in the foothills.

“When the security forces retaliate, it will give the Kuki militants and their frontal groups an opportunity to claim Kukis have been attacked by Meiteis… The Manipur Security Adviser clearly said his statement is based on an intelligence report. He has no obligation to anyone to explain confidential details about an intelligence report,” the civil society organisation Meitei Heritage Society (MHS) said in a statement.

READ | “100% Correct”: Manipur Security Adviser On Intelligence Report “900 Kuki Militants” Entered From Myanmar

Many distinct tribes such as Thadou and Hmar come under Manipur’s Scheduled Tribes (ST) list, one of which also includes a catch-all nomenclature called ‘Any Kuki Tribes’, re-added in 2003 after its deletion in 1956.

The Meitei Heritage Society said organisations that represent the Kuki-Zo tribes in Manipur’s Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts use the term “tribal” despite numerous other tribes not being part of these organisations or involved in the ethnic violence.

“It must be noted that the Nagas and other tribes are not part of these groups and have publicly rebuked them for deliberately using the word ‘tribal’ to mislead people into assuming it means ‘all tribals’ in Manipur,” the Meitei Heritage Society said.

On September 20, sources had said the intelligence report was sent to all Senior Superintendents of Police in the districts along the India-Myanmar border in southern Manipur. The report mentioned that “900 Kuki militants, newly trained in use of drone-based bombs, projectles, missiles and jungle warfare have entered Manipur from Myanmar”, sources had said.

Responding to a question on the intelligence report, the Security Adviser Kuldiep Singh had said, “Unless and until it is proved wrong, we believe that it is 100 per cent correct. Because any intelligence input you have to take 100 per cent correct and prepare for that. If it doesn’t come true, then there are two things. Either it didn’t happen at all, or because of your efforts it didn’t happen. You cannot take it lightly.”

READ | Video: Standoff Between Armoured Vehicle And Suspected Insurgents In Manipur’s Moreh

Ethnic armed groups in Myanmar’s Chin State and other areas have been fighting the junta, and have taken large parts of the country which the junta earlier controlled. Some of the fighting has taken place close to the border with India, with instances of some junta troops fleeing into India after Chin State rebels overran them.

The Manipur government has long maintained that the ethnic violence in the state was a direct result of a huge spike in the population of illegal immigrants – among other factors – in southern Manipur, which shares a border with Chin State and the Sagaing Region.

There are many villages of the Kuki tribes in the hills surrounding the Meitei-dominated valley. The clashes between the Meitei community and the nearly two dozen tribes known as Kukis – a term given by the British in colonial times – who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur, has killed over 220 people and internally displaced nearly 50,000.

The general category Meiteis want to be included under the Scheduled Tribes category, while the Kukis who share ethnic ties with people in neighbouring Myanmar’s Chin State and Mizoram want a separate administration carved out of Manipur, citing discrimination and unequal share of resources and power with the Meiteis.

Imphal:

The Manipur government has asked the police to hand over the case of attack on the ancestral house of a key Thadou tribe leader and BJP spokesperson to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The state government in a letter to the police chief said the case filed over the attack on the house of T Michael Lamjathang Haokip in Churachandpur district, where his elderly parents and some internally displaced people live, should be forwarded to the NIA as soon as possible.

“In view of the serious nature of the matter, DGP (Director General of Police), Manipur is kindly requested to submit the proposal for forwarding this case to the NIA at the earliest,” the state government said.

NDTV has seen a copy of the letter.

Mr Haokip’s house was vandalised and set on fire in Kuki-dominated Churachandpur on August 31 in the third attack at his house since the Meitei-Kuki ethnic violence began in May 2023. The attack happened on a day the Kuki tribes held protests against Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, who they said was responsible for the crisis, citing a leaked audio tape which the state government had called “doctored”.

Six days earlier, on August 25, over two dozen people, some of them armed, had vandalised Mr Haokip’s house and also fired shots in the air.

In a first information report (FIR), Mr Haokip had named 15 people as “directly or indirectly” responsible for the attack on his property and family. He also named two people who allegedly asked members of a WhatsApp group to kill him. One of the two promised to give “village land” to anyone who kills the state BJP spokesperson.

Mr Haokip has said the attacks and threats came as a result of him raising awareness about his tribe, Thadou, being inaccurately referred to as a Kuki tribe amid the ethnic tension in Manipur.

READ | “Kill Him, Will Give My Land…”: Manipur BJP Spokesperson’s FIR Over Death Threats, Attack On House

Mr Haokip, the Thadou Community International (TCI) and the Thadou Students’ Association (TSA-GHQ), of which he is a key leader, have sought to draw attention to the tribe’s “inaccurate” reference by leaders and the media, and to spread awareness that “the Thadou tribe is distinct and any confusion with other tribes surmount to being racist, abusive, disrespectful, traumatising and it puts the Thadou tribe in poor light”.

“… There’s hope the perpetrators’ intentions and masterminds will be exposed, and justice will be served to all the victims of the horrible crime and injustice, including Michael Lamjathang, his family and Peniel villagers,” the TSA said in a statement on Friday, welcoming the decision of the Manipur government to hand over the investigation to the NIA.

Letter To Kuki National Organisation (KSO)

The TSA on September 15 wrote to the heads of the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), seeking their cooperation in identifying suspects who attacked Mr Haokip’s house twice last month. TSA spokesperson Vicky Thadou in the letter said that Peniel village, where Mr Haokip’s senior citizen parents live in their ancestral house, falls within the operational area of KNO, and are dominated by KNA, KNFMC, KNF-S, KNF-Z, and KLA – the five constituents of the KNO.

“… We hold the KNO and the local civil organisations morally responsible for the attacks,” the TSA said in the letter addressed to the KNO president and vice presidents.

The Kuki National Front (Samuel), or KNF(S), in a statement refuted the TSA’s allegation and requested people to “stay away from this misinformation and blatant accusation.” “… The blatant accusation that the incident took place within the operational area of the organisation is nothing, but the act of tarnishing the image and reputation of KNF(S),” the KNF(S) said in a statement, referring to the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement.

The TSA in the statement on Friday acknowledged the KNF(S)’s response and pointed out that only one of five armed groups under the KNO has responded.

“… The fact that other groups have neither condemned the repeated terror attacks nor clarified on the matter only strengthen the suspicion of their involvement in the attacks, which would clearly amount to gross violation of the ground rules of the Suspension of Operations agreement between the groups and the government,” the TSA said.

The KNO is one of the two umbrella organisations of 23 Kuki-Zomi-Hmar insurgent groups that have signed the controversial tripatriate SoO agreement with the state government and the Centre. The other is the United People’s Front (UPF). The KNO and the UPF represent these 23 Kuki-Zomi-Hmar insurgent groups.

Broadly, the SoO agreement says the insurgents are to stay at designated camps and their weapons kept in locked storage, to be monitored regularly. Every year, a joint monitoring group reviews the SoO agreement and decides whether to end or renew it. The agreement lapsed on February 29 this year – the same day the Manipur assembly unanimously passed a resolution asking the Centre to scrap the agreement. The 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs did not attend the assembly session.

The Manipur government has alleged some Kuki insurgents who are part of the SoO agreement have been participating in the ethnic conflict, thus violating the ground rules.

READ | End Ceasefire With All Kuki-Zo Insurgent Groups: Manipur Assembly Unanimous Resolution

Leaders of the Kuki tribes have also accused the state government headed by Chief Minister N Biren Singh, who is from the valley-dominant Meitei community, of looking the other way when insurgents of the Meitei group United National Liberation Front (Pambei), or UNLF(P), allegedly participated in the violence. The UNLF(P) last year signed a peace deal with the Centre and the state government, after which its personnel came overground.

There are many villages of the Kuki tribes in the hills surrounding the Meitei-dominated valley. The clashes between the Meitei community and the nearly two dozen tribes known as Kukis – a term given by the British in colonial times – who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur, has killed over 220 people and internally displaced nearly 50,000.

The general category Meiteis want to be included under the Scheduled Tribes category, while the Kukis who share ethnic ties with people in neighbouring Myanmar’s Chin State and Mizoram want a separate administration carved out of Manipur, citing discrimination and unequal share of resources and power with the Meiteis.

Imphal/Guwahati/New Delhi:

The Security Adviser to the Manipur government today for the first time publicly confirmed they have received an intelligence report that alerted about the entry of “900 Kuki militants” trained in jungle warfare and use of weaponised drones to Manipur from neighbouring Myanmar. The intelligence report cannot be taken lightly, Manipur Security Adviser Kuldiep Singh told reporters today.

The intelligence report was sent to all Senior Superintendents of Police in the districts along the India-Myanmar border in southern Manipur, top intelligence sources told NDTV, requesting anonymity. The report, sent on Thursday, mentioned that “900 Kuki militants, newly trained in use of drone-based bombs, projectles, missiles and jungle warfare have entered Manipur from Myanmar”, the sources said.

The “Kuki militants” are believed to be grouped in units of 30 members each and at present are scattered in the periphery, the intelligence sources told NDTV, adding they may launch multiple coordinated attacks on Meitei villages in the last week of September.

In the press conference today, Mr Singh said they believe the report to be “100 per cent correct”.

“Unless and until it is proved wrong, we believe that it is 100 per cent correct. Because any intelligence input you have to take 100 per cent correct and prepare for that. If it doesn’t come true, then there are two things. Either it didn’t happen at all, or because of your efforts it didn’t happen. You cannot take it lightly,” Mr Singh told reporters.

Ethnic armed groups in Myanmar’s Chin State and other states have been fighting the junta, and have taken large parts of the country which the junta earlier controlled. Some of the fighting has taken place close to the border with India, with instances of some junta troops fleeing into India after Chin State rebels overran them.

READ | Row Over Assam Rifles Ex Chief’s “Meitei Police, Kuki Police” Comment; Cops Say “Myopic Mindset”

The Manipur government has long maintained that the ethnic violence in the state was a direct result of a huge spike in the population of illegal immigrants – among other factors – in southern Manipur, which shares a border with Chin State and the Sagaing Region.

In January, on a question about attacks on police commandos in Manipur’s border trading town Moreh, the Security Adviser had denied the involvement of Myanmar-based militants. He had, however, admitted there was a possibility that Myanmar militants might have come, though there was no evidence then.

There are many villages of the Kuki tribes in the hills surrounding the Meitei-dominated valley. The clashes between the Meitei community and the nearly two dozen tribes known as Kukis – a term given by the British in colonial times – who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur, has killed over 220 people and internally displaced nearly 50,000.

The general category Meiteis want to be included under the Scheduled Tribes category, while the Kukis who share ethnic ties with people in neighbouring Myanmar’s Chin State and Mizoram want a separate administration carved out of Manipur, citing discrimination and unequal share of resources and power with the Meiteis.

No Value Of Agreements?

The involvement of overground insurgents from both communities in the Manipur clashes was confirmed recently by the police after a gunfight in Jiribam district, neighbouring Assam.

Three Kuki insurgents who were killed in the gunfight were members of the Kuki Liberation Army (KLA), whose two factions are part of the two umbrella Kuki-Zo groups that have signed the controversial tripatriate Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement – a sort of ceasefire – with the state government and the Centre.

A member of the Meitei insurgent group United National Liberation Front (Pambei), or UNLF(P), was also killed in the Jiribam gunfight. The UNLF is the oldest Meitei insurgent group, which later broke up into two factions; the Pambei faction signed a tripartite peace agreement with the Centre and the state government in November 2023.

READ | “Prosecute Manipur Chief Minister”: 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs To Probe Panel On ‘Audio Clip’ Leak Row

India-Myanmar Border Fencing

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said fencing work had been completed in 30 km of the porous India-Myanmar border in the Manipur section.

The Cabinet Committee on Security has, in principle, approved the construction of border fencing and roads along the 1,643-km international border between India and Myanmar at an approximate cost of Rs 31,000 crore.

The India-Myanmar border passes through Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. The Union Home Minister said India has scrapped the Free Movement Regime (FMR), which allows people living close to the border to go 16 km into each other’s territory without any documents. Foreigners can enter from Myanmar using the standard method i.e. with visas, Mr Shah had said.

Imphal:

On the completion of the Modi 3.0 government today, the Centre has taken a significant step toward addressing the challenges faced by the people in Manipur. They have been enduring prolonged unrest for over 16 months.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has launched a programme to provide essential commodities at affordable prices. The initiative involves extending the Kendriya Police Kalyan Bhandar (KPKB) facilities to people in the violence-hit state.

This was seen as one of the methods the Centre used to resolve the Manipur crisis.

In Manipur’s Torbung, people queued up to buy essentials at a discounted price shop. This area is on the border of the Meitei-dominant valley area Bishnupur and Kuki-dominant hill district Churachandpur. The violence in May 2023 began in these parts.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) unit posted there to keep both the communities away from confrontation had a new task at hand on Wednesday – roll out the mobile canteens on wheel, a key decision by the Centre on completion of 100 days of Modi 3.0.

This facility enables the people to buy essentials at highly subsidised prices from canteens of central forces.

On MHA’s initiative, CRPF is glad to open its Kendriya Police Kalyan Bhandar (KPKB) from today at total 15 unit locations in Imphal, Kangpokpi, Bishnupur, Jiribam, Chudachandpur, Senapati and others districts for the people of Manipur to enable them to purchase commodities at… pic.twitter.com/f8F8DE9bge

— CRPF (@crpfindia) September 17, 2024

“We will organise this canteen on wheels in all the villages that are in our area of operation. The CRPF is in Manipur now and with the welfare of people as our aim, we are going to villages with daily use items,” Mani G Nair, a CRPF officer in Torbung, told NDTV.

John Vaiphei, a resident, said, “This is the first welcome step to build support for the local population, considering the hardships people in the sensitive zones have been facing. We hope they (mobile canteens) come frequently.”

The Border Security Force (BSF) in a post on X said it is proud to serve locals through three existing KPK bhandars and seven newly opened outlets.

Under MHA initiative to provide commodities at affordable prices to the people of Manipur from today, BSF is proud to serve the locals through 3 existing KPK Bhandars and 7 newly opened outlets.#JaiHind#IndiasFirstLineOfDefencepic.twitter.com/uUTohAZE9N

— BSF (@BSF_India) September 17, 2024

Introduced by the MHA in 2006, the KPKB system was designed to supply essential goods at concessional prices to serving and retired personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). In the backdrop of the turmoil in Manipur, the facility has been extended to benefit the local population, ensuring that essential goods are available at fair prices, despite the restrictions on travel and supplies caused by the unrest.

“The Centre and the state government have come together to start this process. The MHA issued orders to start 16 outlets, eight each in the valley and hill districts. These are in addition to the already running 21 KPKB outlets in the state. These outlets have started supplying goods to the local population,” Manipur Home Commissioner Ashok Kumar said.

The state government has also launched mobile sales units, providing essential items such as rice, potatoes, onions, pulses, cooking oil, and salt in 16 centres.

“Prices of essential commodities have skyrocketed, and many items are scarce. This new KPKB outlet ensures easy access to essential goods at lower prices than in the market. It is a highly commendable move,” a resident in Imphal East’s Lamlai, Sorokkaibam Inaocha Meitei, told NDTV.

People displaced by the ethnic violence from both communities have welcomed the Centre’s move, which appears set to help win trust for starting a larger peace-building process.

With BM Sunzu in Lamlai, and K Mangte in Kangvai.

Imphal:

The Manipur Police on Sunday expressed concern over the use of sophisticated weapons to target security personnel during protests and urged people to refrain from using such means to make their point.

“We want to remind the public that the police department’s duty is to maintain law and order and to respond to armed attacks by miscreants. We have sustained multiple casualties during these challenging times,” Deputy Inspector General (Range 1) N Herojit Singh told reporters.

“In recent agitations, traditional forms of protests have been replaced with lethal methods targeting security forces. Demonstrators have engaged in stone-throwing, shooting iron pieces from slingshots, firing tear gas shells, and using automatic firearms,” Mr Singh said, highlighting the shift in protest tactics.

“We have evidence of automatic weapons being fired during protests. At Khabeisoi, firing from automatic weapons injured an officer in-charge of Imphal East Commando and another policeman recently. In Kakwa, Imphal West district, firing from automatic weapons left bullet marks on our vehicles,” he said.

“We want to say that police forces use maximum restraint when dealing with protesters. Although there has been no retaliation from police in response to automatic weapon fire, we have reports of protesters getting injured when we use minimal, non-lethal anti-riot measures,” the officer said.

He said the police have detained people who come from other localities to participate in sabotage during protests. “During protests, we have detained people from outside localities. We urge people to use democratic and non-violent methods for their demands. Entering highly sensitive areas and destroying public property will be met with strong measures. Police are part of the community and not the enemy. Protests aimed primarily at targeting and attacking the police should cease immediately,” Mr Singh said.

He requested the media to avoid live coverage of protests, which can incite others to join.

“Without law and order, society cannot function. If conventional methods to maintain law and order fail and alternative measures are used, it will be unfortunate for everyone,” he said.

Superintendent of Police (Imphal West) Ksh Shivakanta Singh said they have seen situations where locals cooperated with the police and persuaded demonstrators to avoid violence.

“We urge community elders to help restrain those who come to protests under the influence of alcohol and engage in violent behaviour. Cooperation will help us manage the situation more effectively,” he said.

Imphal/New Delhi:

Families living in a relief camp in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district want to return home, provided there is guarantee of their safety, a senior officer of the central paramilitary force CRPF told news agency ANI.

CRPF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Manish Kumar Sachar visited the camps in Kangpokpi district’s Thangkanphai village and Songpehjang, where over 100 families of the Kuki tribes have been staying since ethnic clashes began in May 2023.

“This is Saikul subdivision, a huge subdivision under Kangpokpi district. And this Songpehjang relief camp, where over 100 families are living. They are living peacefully. You can see children playing. But our objective and purpose is to ensure they return home as soon as possible,” Mr Sachar told ANI.

“Their rehabilitation should be done. They should be given help to restart their lives. Many measures are being taken for them. For example, we are working to identify their agricultural fields and taking them to work on them, so that they can start living a normal life again,” said the DIG of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), whose battalions have taken over security duties in some areas in the Kuki-dominant hill districts Churachandpur and Kangpokpi, vacated by the Assam Rifles (AR). The two AR battalions have been sent to Jammu and Kashmir.

“You can see around. They are all peaceful. The children are playing. They need to go to schools, live normal lives,” Mr Sachar said, pointing at the relief camp.

To a question about demands raised by the families living in the camps, Mr Sachar said, “They have no demand. They only want to return to normal, lead normal lives, without any attacks on them or threats.”

READ | Row Over Assam Rifles Ex Chief’s “Meitei Police, Kuki Police” Comment; Cops Say “Myopic Mindset”

Over 220 people were killed in the ethnic clashes between the valley-dominant Meitei community and the Kuki tribes – a term given by the British in colonial times – who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur.

While members of the Kuki tribes have left the state capital Imphal and other valley areas, Meiteis who had been living in the hill areas where the Kukis are dominant have come to the valley. Nearly 50,000 internally displaced people from both communities are living in relief camps.

Tension persists, however, in the foothills between the Kuki-dominant hill districts and the valley areas as both sides accuse each other of launching attacks.

The Kuki tribes want a separate administration to be carved out of Manipur, while the Meiteis do not want any division of territory, or harm to “territorial integrity”.

“IDPs wishing to return home doesn’t mean they don’t have political demands. Security officials must stick to their job, not meddle in politics,” Manipur BJP MLA Paolienlal Haokip said in a post on X, referring to internally displaced people (IDPs).

The MLA’s “not meddle in politics” swipe at the CRPF top officer comes days after Lieutenant General PC Nair (retired), the former Director General of the Assam Rifles, in a nearly 50-minute interview to News9 said the Manipur Police are divided on ethnic lines – between Meiteis and Kukis, and that “there is no Manipur Police; it is ‘Meitei Police’. It is ‘Kuki Police’.”

The Kuki tribes had protested against the Centre’s move to shift the two Assam Rifles battalions to Jammu and Kashmir.

READ | Manipur BJP MLA From Kuki Tribes Condemns Call To Ban ITLF, Asks Amit Shah To Probe Audio Tapes

Mr Haokip is one of the 10 Kuki MLAs who have been speaking in the same chorus as the two umbrella groups that represent 25-odd Kuki-Zo insurgent factions, and separate civil society organisations. All of them have been demanding separation from Manipur.

Social media users from the Meitei community, reacting to Mr Haokip’s post on the CRPF DIG’s comment, alleged only those who want to keep the pot boiling have been objecting to attempts to return to a state of normalcy, and that it is the politicians who have political demands, not the displaced people who have been living together in peace for decades.

“Thousands of people from both communities want to return home under strict security and understanding of no more violence, for a start. I have been going from one camp to another, from Kuki to Meitei camps, if I may say that. Anyone who visits the camps will hear the same thing, that people want to go home,” a senior officer who is looking after rehabilitation and relief matters near Bishnupur district’s Moirang town told NDTV on phone, requesting anonymity.

“Ensuring safe return and rebuilding lives are not easy tasks, given the sharp ethnic divide, but it is possible with sincere efforts. Some elements know the return of peace means the failure of achieving their goal,” the officer said.

Among a range of complex issues, the immediate cause that sparked the long chain of violence is often cited as the general category Meiteis’ demand to be included under the Scheduled Tribes category.

The Kukis, who share ethnic ties with people in neighbouring Myanmar’s Chin State and Mizoram, want the separate administration citing discrimination and unequal share of resources and power with the Meiteis.

With inputs from ANI

Imphal:

The Indian Army and the Manipur Police in a joint operation with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Border Security Force recovered significant quantities of arms, ammunition and “war-like stores” in Churachandpur district, the army’s Spear Corps said in a statement today.

“The Indian Army, in a joint operation along with Manipur Police, CRPF, and BSF, had launched an extensive 48-hour operation, giving a decisive blow to warring groups in Manipur. These joint efforts resulted in the recovery of significant quantities of arms, ammunition, and other war-like stores in the Churachandpur district,” the army said in the statement.

Acting on specific information, in Churachandpur’s Maulsang area, the army along with the police and the CRPF recovered one 7.62mm AK series assault rifle with a magazine, three medium-sized crude mortars locally known as ‘pumpi’, and other war-like stores, the army said.

The army in coordination with the police and the BSF also recovered a modified M-16 assault rifle, one 7.5-feet country-made rocket, one large country-made mortar and ammunition in a thickly forested area south-west of Shejang in Kangpokpi district, the army said in the statement.

The recovered weapons have been handed over to the police for further investigation and disposal, the army said.

Troops of #IndianArmy, along with #BSF, #CRPF and @manipur_police carried out Intelligence based joint operations in general areas of Maulsang and Shejang in Churachandpur district in the last 48 hours and recovered one 7.62mm AK Series assault rifle, one modified M-16 rifle, one… pic.twitter.com/cpCmhBrgDj

— SpearCorps.IndianArmy (@Spearcorps) September 12, 2024

The operation marks a significant step in neutralising the threat posed by these inimical groups, reaffirming the commitment of the security forces towards peace in the region, the army said.

READ | Row Over Assam Rifles Ex Chief’s “Meitei Police, Kuki Police” Comment; Cops Say “Myopic Mindset”

Violence had escalated again in Manipur on September 1, following what the police said was a weaponized drone attack in Imphal West’s Koutruk. The police said they are considering handing over the case to the National Investigation Agency. The police are also investigating a “rocket attack” on Manipur’s lakeside town Moirang.

The Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO), admitting the attack on Moirang, in a statement on Thursday said, “… The incident involved a retaliatory action by Kuki-Zo village volunteers, who used an indigenously made ‘Pumpi’, a type of cannon, rather than a rocket or a missile.”