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Meitei leaders harden stance with new pledge to ‘protect’ integrity of Manipur
Hardening of stance comes amid fresh spurt in violence in Manipur, with at least nine people, many of them in Meitei-dominated districts, dying in last month
At least 36 legislators and two parliamentarians from Manipur, all Meiteis, took an oath administered by a controversial outfit to “protect” the integrity of the state, government officials said on Wednesday, as the majority community appeared to harden its stance in the face of a recent spurt in violence.
The pledge was taken at a meeting organised by radical Meitei group Arambai Tenggol at Kangla Fort in Imphal.
The event — which started at 10am and lasted for about an hour — was attended by 36 members of legislative assembly, Inner Manipur MP Rajkumar Ranjan Singh and Rajya Sabha member Leishemba Sanajaoba, all of whom hail from the Meitei community.
The only Meitei legislator not present was chief minister N Biren Singh, said the officials quoted above. Also in attendance were Congress leaders including former chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh and state Congress chief Keisham Meghachandra Singh.
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The Manipur government did not comment on the meeting. A senior delegation from the Union home ministry is in Imphal to conduct peace talks with various groups, including the Arambai Tenggol, which has sweeping acceptance among the majority Meitei community but which is accused by the Kukis of violence.
“The elected representatives have taken oath protect the land and its people. Arambai’s intention behind today’s meeting was to make a point that all minister and MLAs are not above the people,” said Korounganba Khuman, a leader of the group, after the meeting
“If the Centre does not listen, we will take the movement to the people to protect Manipur,” he added, while addressing a women’s market in Imphal.
The hardening of stance comes amid a fresh spurt in violence in Manipur, with at least nine people, many of them in Meitei-dominated districts, dying in the last month.
Since May 2023, Manipur has been roiled by ethnic violence between the majority Meitei community, and the tribal Kukis, with other communities increasingly sucked into the clashes over the last few months. At least 208 people have lost their lives, and another 50,000 have been displaced.
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But far from any administrative salve to a now-fractured society, the fallout of the long running-ethnic hostilities has meant that the Meiteis, who live largely in the plains of the Imphal valley, and the Kukis, who predominantly live in the hills, have withdrawn to their respective strongholds. In response, security forces have created buffer zones in different border districts, set up camps and posts on highways.
But often, militants from both groups use the hills and the jungle area to cross into other districts and attack each other. The hostilities have also led to the proliferation of groups such as Arambai Tenggol, underlining how fault lines have widened beyond the Meitei-Kuki divide, pitting different communities against each other.
To put a lid on the violence, the Union home ministry this week dispatched a three-member team to Manipur to hold talks with members of both Meitei and Kuki communities in an attempt to restore peace.
The officials quoted above said that Wednesday’s meeting was significant for Meitei leaders from different parties, including the Congress and independent leaders, to show that they were all together in supporting the community.
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The lawmakers also signed a pledge supporting the Arambai Tenggol’s key demands — abrogation of the Suspension of Operations(SoO) agreement with Kuki militants, deportation of Myanmar refugees to Mizoram or to Myanmar, implementation of a National Register of Citizens with 1951 as the base year, erecting a fence along the border with Myanmar, replacing Assam Rifles with another central government force, and removal of Kuki immigrants from the Scheduled Tribe List.
The demand — along with the signatures of the members — were sent to the Centre, said Arambai Tenggol members. Khuman said the elected representatives assured the people that they will convey the concerns and sentiments of the people to the Centre within 15 days. “They also endorsed and signed an agreement (with the demands to forward to the Centre),” he said.
Arambai Tenggol is a radical Meitei group, which has been accused by Kuki civil society groups of orchestrating attacks in Kuki villages since ethnic clashes broke out in the state last year. To be sure, neither the Manipur Police nor security forces have officially commented on the group’s involvement in the clashes.
The officials quoted above said that on Wednesday morning, thousands of Arambai Tenggol members marched towards the Kangla fort. “There were thousands of group members so senior police and government officials held talks after which it was agreed to allow 55 members inside the fort. There was heavy security outside the fort,” said one official aware of the matter, requesting anonymity.
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A second government official aware of the development said that in the current context, Arambai Tenggol is significant because the group has been able to mobilise support across parties and shown that Meiteis are together in backing the community.
“During the ethnic clashes, the group gained more support from Meitei people because its members are sending volunteers to guard villages. These members are the people on the ground protecting Meiteis residents and working with them. They have become important politically,” said the second official, requesting anonymity.
An umbrella groups of tribal bodies criticised the meeting and termed it disturbing.
“What’s more alarming is that this all unfolds right under the watchful eyes of the home ministry officials, who arrived a few days ago and met this insurgent group,” said a statement by Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF).
In another statement late night on Wednesday, ITLF said Arambai Tenggol members displayed arms that were stolen from police armouries. ITLF spokesperson Ginza Vualzong accused Khuman of regularly posting videos and photos of himself holding assault rifles and giving speeches before armed men calling for attacks.
On Wednesday, 10 Kuki lawmakers also wrote to home minister Amit Shah, saying that suspension of SoO as proposed by Meitei MLAs would worsen the situation in Manipur. The 10 lawmakers also requested Shah to impose the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in the valley districts and remove Meitei personnel from state commando forces posted in Kuki-Zo areas.
