By Albert Thyrniang
Shekhar Gupta of the The Print revealed that his episodes (videos and print) on Manipur have lower readership and viewership. This is a clear indication of a general apathy of what is going in the “Jewelled land“. For the ‘mainland’ India Manipur is just one of the states in the distant northeast, a region of little significance.
Not even the horrifying footages of red flames, smoke, burned homes, churches and vehicles, attract attention. Not the stories of ‘day and night’ riots that killed innocents left many widowed and orphaned, forced women and children to fee, evoke emotion. Not the reports of the number of deaths and misplaced thousands, prick consciences. Not the cramped, under-stress relief and refugee camps that lack acute food, water and medicines, draw empathy. Not the visit of the home minister, Amit Shah was important enough. Not the fresh cycles of violence where armed groups of the majority community attack villages of the others, not the sight of women blocking or confronting security forces, not the arsons that torched the house of state and union ministers are worth bothering enough. Not the sound of guns and bullets shakes one’s being. Not the description of conflict as ‘ethnic cleansing’, ‘civil war’, ‘genocide’ and ‘pogrom’ is of concern.
Over and above this worrisome indifference is the total silence of the prime minister, Narendra Modi. Silence is complicity to violence! For the BJP’s electoral wins PM found time in February 2017 and 2022 but spares no schedule for a violence-ridden state that has seen 140 or more deaths, displaced 50,000 residents, turned 4,500 homes to ashes and the destroyed 249 churches. The ‘collapse of the Constitutional Machinery’, the demand for President’s Rule, the failure of the security forces under article 355, the actual separation of Zo people (Kukis) and the Meiteis are not sufficient reasons to utter a word. Even post the Karnataka elections and the prompt visit to the Odisha train tragedy to show empathy there, Modi found no space in his schedule for the Manipur human disaster. In his latest ‘Mann ki Baat’ he talked of the cyclone in Gujarat but was mum on the ‘unending’ wave of violence. A section of the Manipur citizens broke their transistors publicly in disgust. Even the moving appeal from children like 9- year old Deborah to intervene has fallen on deaf ears.
When the prime minister himself feels nothing for the sufferings why should the rest care? When he turns his back Manipur will continue to burn. After all, the location is in a corner of the country.
Initially the national press and television channels had no time for the mayhem in the state between Assam and Myanmar. The elections in Karnataka were covered comprehensively dedicating much of the space for the prime minister being showered with rose petals in the Bangalore rally. The media focussed on ‘The Kerala Story’ but ignored the Churachandpur and Imphal ethnic clash. The PM’s speech in election bound Rajasthan was telecast live but the violence in the BJP- ruled state was overlooked.
The international media’s reportage on the Meitei-Kuki clash is quite sketchy. Prominent television channels picked up the May 3, ethnic violence three to four days later but have gone almost silent now. The print and digital segments do give a little more attention to the new wave of mass killings and swamping of villages by mobs aided by armed ‘private armies’. It is also noted that the international media depend on their correspondents in Delhi. No reporter is present in Imphal. The government may have declined them entry permit.
The reason for the mute mode of the PM is not to be seen as an endorsement of the BJP government both at the centre and the state. But it is also a strategy to keep the Manipur bloodshed under wraps as much as possible. If the PM tweets more attention will be on the Myanmar border state. The scrutiny will be more intense. Modi’s scheduled visit to the US is from 20 June. His first state visit was set much before the outbreak of the Manipur violence. If there is an international scrutiny on the Manipur turmoil, the image of the PM will take a hit. So, to keep up his international image, silence is a deliberate choice. It does not matter if Manipur continues to boil provided his image is intact abroad.
The new spell of violence are basically attacks on the Kuki villages situated on the foothills. Mobs by the hundreds from the Manipur valley along with armed groups would attack the villages late night or at dawn. The villagers only try to defend themselves. Gunfire would break out between the rival groups. The volunteers defending the villages are outnumbered. Their only option is to flee but many die fighting. Women and children usually abandon their houses for safer places much before the fall of their villages. In the meantime a new tactic is employed. Meitei women would block the security forces to give time to the attackers to accomplish their target. It is sad that women who could play a key role for peace are being used as human shields. It is feared these are planned assaults to drive the minority tribes as far as possible from the valley. The violence is also now on the BJP as well. A union and state minister’s homes have come under attack. Exchange of fire also takes place when the security forces prevent armed groups from proceeding to attack villages. Casualties have occurred.
Why is the violence going on unabated for more than six weeks? Who is hell-bent on continuing with the arson? The blame is usually on ‘mobs’. But who is mobilising the mobs? Ground sources point fingers at two groups dubbed as ‘private armies’, the Arambai Tenggol and the Meetei Leepun. Members of these radical Meitei groups are suspected to be unleashing the “pre-planned” communal violence up to this point. Allegedly linked to the RSS these Bajrang Dal like black T-shirt clad men, spread hate and terror. Sources reveal that it is an open secret that these groups are supported by BJP leader and chief minister, N. Biren Singh. Pramot Singh, chief of the Meitei Leepun, in an interview, even threatened to execute a ‘bigger blow’ that would wipe out a 15 km Kuki dominated stretch The ‘Meitei Pride’ outfit warned of ‘Civil War’ against the “outsiders and “tenants” (not indigenous to Manipur), the Kukis. The organisation’s leader also confessed that he “worships” the chief minister. The solution to Manipur is to ban these radical groups or at least disarm them (a large number of sophisticated arms were looted from state police commandos) and remove N. Biren Singh. He is the problem and not a solution.
One of the points stressed over and over again is that the Manipur madness has no religious angle. Then why were the 249 churches targeted systematically in the valley, including Meitei churches? A church official has strongly indicated the attacks were pre-planned otherwise how did mobs know the exact locations? Church officials are also being told not to rebuild the places of worship. Even now churches are being burnt down. A narrative is also on that the church destruction was a reaction to Hindu temples being destroyed. This is not true. The media has not shown any vandalised temple. Local sources say a roadside altar was destroyed near Imphal but the unfortunate incident took place after the destruction of churches, sometime towards May end.
Meitei Christians are coming out denying any religious motive. At this juncture when emotions and ethnic attachments are high this is expected. They may be under pressure. There is no question of blaming anyone but how does a group that believes in ‘love your enemies’ commit atrocities against fellow humans? How do believers in ahimsa (non-violence) perpetuate such a sustained violent act? Religion is practised only among kindred and during peaceful times. How does the ‘Kangleipak nation’, a civilisation dating back to 2,500 years ago or even prehistoric period whose written constitution was developed in the early 12th century, come to such a sorry state?
Most of the media outlets talk about the ethnic fault-lines, namely the ethnic and religious compositions and the plain and hill divide besides issues like the ST demand for Meiteis, illegal migrants, forests reserves and poppy cultivation. But few have dared to ask the right questions. Rajdeep Sardesai has asked whether both the centre and state governments have blood on their hands; whether the failure of the ‘two engines’ should lead to the only option, President’s rule. Karan Thapar has questioned PM’s deafening silence and whether the Kukis should get a separate administration since the actual separation has effectively taken place. In Imphal valley and other Meitei dominated areas not a single Kuki is left behind. The same applies to Churachandpur and other Kuki dominated districts where no Meitei remains. At the moment the return looks impossible. Why not live as good neighbours?
This paper has published a number of articles on Manipur but even among us who are in the same region the apathy is as real as those beyond the ‘chicken’s neck’.