Amidst the eruption of fresh violence in various parts of Manipur after the killing of Moreh Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Chingtham Anandkumar on October 31 by Kuki militants, an official team of India’s Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) met with the leaders of the Indignenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF).
The MHA team who arrived in Manipur on November 8 evening was led by A K Mishra, the MHA Advisor for North East and the interlocutor of the tripartite talk between the Kuki militants under the Suspension of Operation (SoO), Government of India (GOI) and Government of Manipur (GOM).
Besides AK Mishra, the MHA was represented by Joint Director of Intelligence Bureau (IB) for NorthEast Dr Mandeep Singh Tuli. The other officials of the MHA present in the meeting were Joint Director IB Imphal Gnanasambandan, Churachandpur DC Dharun Kumar and Assistant Director IB Churachandpur Soiminthang Thangsing.
According to reports, the close door meeting with the ITLF leaders was held at the Intelligence Bureau Office at Lamka in Churachandpur district on Thursday, November 9 to review the last meeting between the ITLF leaders and the Union Home Minister Amit Shah which was held on August 8 in New Delhi.
During the meeting on August 8, the ITLF had requested for the withdrawal of State forces completely from the hill areas particularly Manipur Police Commandos from border town Moreh. But it was reported that the Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Center cannot fully remove the State forces but they will not let the State forces act independently in the hill areas and assured to keep check on activities and operations of the personnel in tribal areas and that they should act in conjunction with the Central forces.
However, the ITLF considers the recent event unfolded in Moreh as breach of agreement in regards to Manipur Police commando in Moreh based on the assurance of the Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
In the Churachandpur meeting on November 9, the ITLF expressed their displeasure over the recent event unfolded at Moreh which had brought to light the failure of Amit Shah based on his assurance.
Notably, according to reports, the Government of India admitted the lapse in this process in Moreh and promised that such a lapse would not happen in the future. The Joint Director of Intelligence Bureau (IB) for NorthEast Dr Mandeep Singh Tuli reassured and reaffirmed the Center’s commitment to not allow such incidents from happening in future and informed them on the Government’s plan to depute a Kuki-Zo police officer at border.
Moreover, the ITLF members also discussed on the issue of burial of the deceased of Kuki-Zomi people and the meeting failed to come to satisfactory conclusion as the government continue to insist to change the burial site. Thus, the matter was postponed for the next day (Friday November 10) to be discussed, said the source.
Notably, the stated objective of the meeting was to evaluate the previous session with the Union Home Minister on August 8 in New Delhi, which had focused on the burial site issue between the Meitei and Kuki communities.
The burial issue goes back to August 3, when members of the Kuki-Zomis sought to bury their 35 fellow members, who had been killed since the violence began on May 3, near a Sericulture Farm situated in Torbung Bangla under Torbung Gram Panchayat in Bishnupur District is being objected by various quarters. Villagers of Torbung Bangla have objected to the mass burial planned by the Kuki-Zomis in the Meitei area under Torbung Gram Panchayat in Bishnupur district. However, the Kuki-Zomi claims the area as an open field in S. Boljang village, which falls within the Churachandpur district.
The announcement of a burial by the Kuki-Zo community on August 3 heightened tensions at the border, resulting in hundreds of men from both communities gathering at the Bishnupur-Churachandpur border.
The ITLF submitted a memorandum addressed to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah on August 3 through the headquarters of the 27 Sector, Assam Rifles. The memorandum laid out five key demands that included total separation from Manipur state. Subsequently, the Ministry of Home Affairs intervened.
Further, it was reported that in a two-hour-long meeting between the ITLF leaders and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on August 8 in New Delhi, the ITLF leaders were told to conduct the mass burial at a neutral venue instead of the previously chosen venue which was close to where the Meitei community lives. The Sericulture Farm of the Industry Department belonging to the Manipur government may be used for mass burial.
Notably, it is said that the ITLF gave the responsibility of the burial to one of its internal departments – the Joint Philanthropic Organisation (JPO), however, following a long meeting with the JPO over the burial, the government continued to insist on changing the burial site.
As they could not come to a deadlock, the meeting was adjourned to meet again on November 10.
However, what was decided in the continued meeting on November 10 before the MHA team left Churachandpur is not known yet.
In regards to political demand for Separate Administration, MHA Advisor for the Northeast and Interlocutor of the tripartite talk, AK Mishra said that the talks with the SoO groups that began in 2015 is still underway and the Government has stood firm on its stand and not move away from the gist of the talk so far. The SoO groups have submitted their demands and is pending approval from the Government, reports said.
Further, AK Mishra stressed the need to create a conducieve environment for the solution to progress. He requested ITLF not to resort to violent means, and to pursue their political demand through democratic means of protest. The ITLF leaders said they want to maintain peace but when they are provoked, they have no choice but to defend themselves.
The ITLF leaders also spoke about the selective justice provided by the NIA and CBI considering the recent arrests made by them. The ITLF leaders cited several cases that were not taken up by CBI which were more gruesome like the beheading of David Thieks, the burning of the eight year old boy and her mother inside an ambulance, the naked parade incident, the car wash incident, the attack on MLA Vungzagin and his drivers etc.
In response to the ITLF complaint about selective justice, it is said that the Joint Director of IB (NE) Dr. Mandeep Singh Tuli said justice will come to everyone and he will take it up with CBI and NIA on this.
On the matter of release and transfer of jail inmates whose case are minor from Imphal jails, the ITLF expressed gratitude to the MHA officials and further requested the officials to expedite the process for complete transfer and release of the remaining inmates belonging to Kuki-Zomis who are still stuck in various jails in Imphal.
It may be mentioned that a total of 18 Kuki inmates lodged in Imphal East District’s Sajiwa Jail were shifted on October 10 to Sapermeina Police Station in Manipur’s Kangpokpi District, which is predominantly inhabited by Kuki-Zomis.
The Manipur government was taking this step to fulfill the demands of ITLF, which has repeatedly demanded the transfer of Kuki-Zomi inmates from Imphal Jail to Churachandpur District, which is also predominantly inhabited by these communities. The Deputy Commandant of A-Coy, 22 Assam Rifles LK Guresh handed over the 18 inmates from Sajiwa Jail, Imphal to the Officer-in-Charge of the Sapermeina PS L Kipgen.
Nevertheless, though the stated objective of the meeting between the MHA Officials and the ITLF leaders was the issue of burial site, which was not addressed yet, were there not other agenda of the meeting still remains a question of everyone who closely observes the Manipur violence.
Senior Editor: Imphal Review of Arts and Politics
