Hmarkhawlien: Island of hope where Meiteis and Kukis co-exist in Assam

Hmarkhawlien in Assam’s Cachar district is a far cry from the situation in Manipur where Meiteis, Hmars and Kukis co-exist.

On June 6, a mob in ethnic violence-hit Manipur’s Jiribam went on a rampage attacking residents and damaging their properties. The rampage uprooted Lalruotmoi, 32, a sole breadwinner. Two of her shops were destroyed, forcing her to run for life to Hmarkhawlien in neighbouring Assam’s Cachar in the middle of the night.

Hmarkhawlien in Assam’s Cachar. (Sourced)

Lalruotmoi now makes ends meet by running a small shop in Assam, which shares a nearly 200-kilometre border with Manipur. “I am the only earning member of my family; my parents are struggling with health issues. My younger brother is a student. We crossed the [Manipur-Assam] border at night in June and are living here with a hope that someday things will be better,” she said. Lalruotmoi said the Hmarkhawlien residents have been empathic, appreciate her work, and encourage me. “We feel protected.”

The protracted ethnic violence in Manipur since May last year has left over 220 people dead and more than 60,000 displaced including in neighbouring Assam and Mizoram. It has effectively divided the state into the Meitei-dominated Imphal valley and Kuki-majority hills. Militants from both communities have launched attacks across districts, prompting security forces to create buffer zones and set up camps.

Hmarkhawlien is a far cry from the situation in Manipur as Meiteis and tribal Hmars and Kukis co-exist in the area, nearly 12 kilometres from Jiribam. Residents in Hmarkhawlien said they have been countering rumours since May 2023 to maintain the coexistence. They said Meiteis, Hmars, and Kukis are dependent on each other for business and agriculture in Assam.

Assam’s Manipuri Development Council chairman Reena Singh said the Hmars and Kukis cultivate most organic fruits and vegetables that have Meitei consumers. “I have never bought pineapples from the market. We get them directly from the Hmar and Kuki families in our neighbourhood. My husband is a doctor and his patients are mostly from these communities. We never felt differences, rather we shared a bond which is continuing for generations.”

Reena said the situation is slightly different now amid the violence in Manipur. “We have told our boys to be more cautious when they go to the market to buy fruits and vegetables from Hmars and Kukis. We know a small misunderstanding can cause a lot of harm,” she said.

Singh said rumours were their biggest concern. “Sometimes people from Manipur and other parts of Assam share false information on social media creating uncomfortable situations for us,” she said.

Meiteis, Hmars, and Kukis have been holding meetings and appealing against believing unverified information on social media. Nearly 15,000 Hmar and Kukis live in Hmarkhawlien.

A 30-year-old Meitei woman, who married a Hmar man in 2022, said she feels no threat. “It was an arranged marriage and my father chose him for me because he felt he was the right person. We feel disturbed when people get killed in Manipur but it does not affect our relationship,” she said.

The couple avoids talking about the issues between Meitei and Kukis. “She has accepted me, my family, culture, and most importantly, she loves me. Our marriage is an example that love can stand bigger than all our differences,” said the husband.

Ibungoton Sharma, 50, from Dighli Manipuri Basti, said that the Kukis and Meiteis live as neighbours. “The village is named after Manipuris, but the Kuki population is almost the same as Meiteis. Some people suggest that we should not trust Kukis but we do not have any reason to do this,” he said.

Lalthomlien Hmar, another resident, said he clicked pictures of shops and shared them online clarifying that nothing had happened last week amid claims that tribals beat a chemist and destroyed his shop.

Most residents have relatives on both sides of the Assam-Manipur border. The Assam Police on Monday night suspended boat services temporarily between the two states following fresh violence in Jiribam.

The latest round of violence was triggered when suspected members of radical Meitei organisation Arambai Tenggol allegedly raped, shot, and set on fire a 31-year-old Kuki woman in Jiribam on November 8. Security forces subsequently killed 10 suspected Kuki militants who allegedly attacked a paramilitary post.

Hundreds protested in Churachandpur demanding justice for the 10, claiming they were village volunteers and not militants. The bodies of the 10 were sent to Assam’s Silchar Medical College and Hospital for postmortem.

Barak Valley Hill Tribes Development Council chairman Lalthomlien Hmar said that bringing bodies from Jiribam was a mistake. “The clashes in Manipur have been happening for a year and a half...we were fighting rumours to maintain the peace between communities. One wrong government decision changed things. Now we are avoiding going to each other’s places. There is a disbelief, which neither of us wanted,” he said.

Construction worker Uttam Singh, who came to Silchar from Jiribam to identify the bodies of his six family members, said they were celebrating Ningol Chakkouba festival at home when militants abducted them and burnt their house.

“I missed my wife’s call...I will regret it because that was her last call to me. I think that she called me when they were attacked. The militants abducted, killed, and dumped them in the Barak River.”

He said doctors indicated that his eight-year-old daughter was raped before being strangled. “I lost everything on that day and we would not accept the bodies until justice is ensured.”

Cachar police superintendent Numal Mahatta on Tuesday said that they have restricted movement at vulnerable entry points between the two states temporarily but people can use the inter-state bridge at Jirighat. “We have deployed nearly 200 police personnel along the border areas and restricted the vulnerable entry points temporarily, considering the present situation,” he said.

Mahatta, who visited the border on Monday, said they have orders to strengthen the security arrangements along the border. “We cannot allow anything disturbing from the neighbouring state here. Due to the present situation there, shops are closed and locals sometimes enter Assam by boat to buy essentials. We are not preventing them but they can only come through the bridge that connects Jiribam and Jirighat.”