Manipur violence: Members of Kuki-Zo tribe protest in Bengaluru demanding separate UT

Each protester was seen with placards that had slogans like “Separation Only Solution”, “Stop Kuki-Zo Ethnic Cleansing”, “Silence is not the Solution”, “We Shall Overcome Someday”, “Step Down N Biren Singh” (Biren Singh is the chief minister of Manipur), “Our Land, Our Rights, Our Identity”, and “Stop Violence in Manipur”.

All the protesters wore black t-shirts, shirts, and trousers, coupled with their traditional shawls, to condemn the ongoing violence in Manipur.

Many of the victims of Manipur violence also took part in the protest and demanded justice for the Kuki-Zo tribe.

The violence broke out between two ethnic groups in Manipur after the Kuki launched a protest against the demand from the Meiteis to be given official Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

At least 7,000 houses were burnt, hundreds of people lost their lives, and many women were allegedly raped since the violence broke out.

The Opposition parties are demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi issue a detailed statement in Parliament on the matter. However, Modi is yet to speak on the Manipur violence in the house.

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‘Separate UT only solution’

Kuki Inpi Karnataka President Mangneo Lhungdim told South First at the Bengaluru protest on Tuesday: “A lot of atrocities happened after 3 May, and we were spending sleepless nights not only in Bengaluru but everywhere in India.”

He added: “When the Union home minister (Amit Shah) went to Manipur after several days, we thought that he might have brought the situation under control.” But that did not happen.

“We never expected to stage a rally in Bengaluru. There are protests in Delhi as well. We were expecting that there would be no need for a protest in Bengaluru. But we have been pushed to do it because there has been no solution for three months now,” he said.

On whether the state government tried to curb the violence in Manipur, Mangneo alleged: “As far as the Manipur government and Biren Singh are concerned, he has not done anything to douse the fire. He is the one fuelling the fire. He is behind the violence.”

He also said: “As soon as he became the chief minister for the second term, he became violent against Kukis. I cannot say that the government of Manipur has tried anything to quell the violence.”

He continued: “We are very hopeful because the Indian Army and the paramilitary are not biased. They do their duty to protect the country. They all are under the control of the Defence and Home Ministries. We had very high expectations when Amit Shah visited Manipur, but he fell short of our expectations. I cannot say that the Union government has a direct hand, but it is playing a mute role. It is not acting as fast as expected by the community.”

Asked if a separate UT was the only solution, Mangneo said: “I cannot have any other opinion because it is a reality. The reality is we cannot go back to your hometown — Imphal.@

He added: “Violence is still rampant in the state. One of our colonies was burnt last night. When the authorities have not stopped the violence, how will one expect the tribes to go back? Thus, living together is out of the question. But living as neighbours is good.”

The Bengaluru-based professional also said: “The separation is the only long-term solution. We never asked for a separate state. Instead, our demand was for autonomy within the 6th Schedule, or like a border territory with more power to gram panchayats, and not the villages. Because of this conflict, the tribe is now going beyond the 6th Schedule and demanding separation.”

He said that even after a video of two women from the Kuki tribe being paraded naked — it would emerge later that they were also gang0raped — went viral, the state government did not make any efforts to either curb the violence or put an end to it.

‘We lost our friends’

Many protestors pointed out that they lost relatives and friends in the violence, and also emphasised that their parents were struggling to find proper shelter and food.

National Institute of Advanced Studies research scholar David Jaagmizhien, who is a resident of Manipur, told South First: “We have gathered to express solidarity to our community, who are suffering and in pain in Manipur. We are here to highlight the inhuman treatment that we have been meted out since the start of the violence. My parents are daily-wage workers and do not have any jobs. They are struggling for one square meal a day. The situation is worsening in the state.”

He added: “Hence, we demand justice for the Kuki tribe. We also demand administration that is separate from the Meitei community or the Manipur government. The Central government needs to have the political will to accept a separate UT for the Kuki-Zo community.” He said this was the only way to quell the violence in Manipur.

He further said: “It’s almost three months and the Union government still seems like there is no violence happening in Manipur. It has turned a blind eye; there is no response from the Union government. We are hopeful that the Union government will focus on our problems to ensure justice for the community.”

Private firm employee Lamneineng Haokip, a resident of Imphal, told South First: “I lost two of my friends in the violence and it is heartbreaking to talk about this. I hail from the chief minister’s constituency Imphal, where law and order have gone for a toss.”

She added: “Before the violence started, I was a student. I was pursuing a postgraduation at Dhanamanjuri University in Manipur. The situation compelled me to come here (Bengaluru) and earn a livelihood to support my family.”

Lamneineng said: “I never imagined in my life that my future and career would be spoiled this way. I still want to study, and it breaks my heart to talk about this.”

She also said: “Even though we were residing in Biren Singh’s constituency, we had to run for our lives. We are horrified and terrified by the violence increasing with each passing day. The terror is shocking because there was no proper security in the chief minister’s constituency itself. We want justice.”