New Delhi: The Manipur Students’ Association Delhi (MSAD) has submitted a memorandum to Union home minister Amit Shah on the continuing violence in the state, asking him to ensure real and longlasting peace. Currently, they have argued, violence has been continuing under the watch of central and state security forces. “The government of India failed to protect the lives and properties of the innocent people of both Kukis and Meeteis in the state,” the memorandum states.
“This ethnic clash is manufactured and used by several motivated forces under the watch of the security forces of the Government of India as a political means to achieve their narrow political goals and to balkanize Manipur with exclusive political domain,” MSAD says. “We urge the people not to fall into the trap of these divisive forces. We appeal to the people to unite and fight against communal propaganda that aims to challenge the unity and integrity of Manipur.”
The students’ group appears to hold the government responsible for the ongoing violence, in its failure to act in relevant ways. “In this violence, ordinary citizens have borne the brunt of insidious politicking. As the violence continues to take its toll for almost a month, no concerted measures seem to be taken by the Government of India. Rather than taking pre-emptive actions to intervene, New Delhi has completely allowed the violence to engulf the Meeteis and the Kukis,” the memorandum states.
There are now considerable armed forces personnel in the state, the MSAD continues, and yet violence persists. “As concerned citizens, we are compelled to ask why the Indian armed forces have utterly failed to perform their assigned duty. Such situations have led to much more resentment among affected communities. The violence has continued for almost a month, with more than 40,000 displaced from both communities.”
A protest by the Kuki Students’ Association Delhi at Jantar Mantar on Monday. Photo: Chirag Jha
The group has made five demands:
“1. That a high-level Judicial inquiry committee should be constituted, headed by a sitting Supreme Court Judge to establish the sequence of events and fix accountability and responsibility.
2. That the Indian and state government should take up adequate measures to disarm the armed miscreants fuelling the conflict.
3. That the government of India should preserve the social fabric of the multi-ethnic state, and no division of Manipur based on exclusivists ethnic agenda should be carried out.
4. That the government of India must ensure the immediate relief and rehabilitation of the affected victims from both the communities.
5. The government of India should stop divisive policies and ensure the safety and security of every community in the state.”
Also read: Raging Gunfire, Empty Roads, Hospitals Running Short of Supplies: Manipur Ahead of Amit Shah’s Visit
Union home minister Amit Shah reached Manipur on Monday evening, three weeks after the violence first began. He has met the council of ministers in chief minister N. Biren Singh’s government and Governor Anusuiya Uikey. Reports say he is planning to meet several security officials during his visit.
Violence escalated in the state on May 3, after tensions over the majority Meitei community’s demand for ST status. The hill tribes believe this will impinge on their economic and social rights. Since then, more than 75 people have been killed.
As The Wire‘s team in Imphal has reported, the violence is continuing even now, with frequent gunfire and heightened suspicions between both communities. The Times of India has reported that the polarisation between the Meitei and Kuki communities has escalated to a drastic extent, and mass relocation is ongoing. Members of each community are reportedly fleeing areas where the other community is in the majority.
Armouries have reportedly been looted on several occasions over the last few days. Hindustan Times quoted officials as saying that the count of missing weapons likely exceeds 1,500, with only 545 of the 1,432 weapons looted in the week between May 3 and 10 recovered.
