New Delhi: A day after Home Minister Amit Shah said in the Parliament that the ongoing violence in Manipur started because of the Kuki infiltrators as a spillover of the Myanmar conflict, a tribal body from the northeastern state slammed Shah and said his statement reflected the opinion of N Biren Singh led government.
“A person as big as the Home Minister should be more authentic in his comments because such statements may further fuel the ongoing violence,” said Dr Chinkhanlun Guite, a member of the Manipur Tribals’ Forum-Delhi in a press conference here. The forum representing Kuki-Zomi-Hmar (Zo ethnic) communities claimed that the majority Meitei community, having monopolized the State government, has been trying to alienate the Zo people from Manipur.
“The most disheartening blow came yesterday when Home Minister Amit Shah said in the Parliament that the violence started because of the Kuki infiltrators as a spillover of the Myanmar conflict. The statement is mind-boggling. If the current conflict is due to the illegal immigrants, why were not adequate patrolling and security arrangements made in the border areas,” Mercy Guite, a woman member of the forum told ETV Bharat.
Stating that the Kuki-Zomi and Hmar are the indigenous tribes of Manipur, Chinkhanlun said that the tribal population in Manipur has been neglected, deprived and discriminated against by the State government since the inception of the State. Referring to a 2021 Niti Aayog report titled “North Eastern Region District SDG Index Baseline Report 2021”, Chinkhanlun said that the valley districts are most developed in terms of fulfilment of sustainable development goals (SDG) which includes poverty, hunger, health, and well being, education, decent work and economic growth among other as indices.
He said that in terms of education structure, almost all universities, medical and technical institutes are located in Imphal Valley. Manipur is differentiated by two geographical terrain including hills and valleys. The Kukis majorly live in the hills whereas the Meiteis live in the valley. Demanding strong action by the central government in controlling the present violent situation of the State, the Manipur Tribals’ Forum said that there should be more buffer zones with the deployment of more central paramilitary forces.
Meanwhile, the ongoing violence in Manipur has restricted people like Emlein Rz Hmar, Dinpui from visiting their home town in Churachandpur to meet their ailing father. “I am not able to visit my village Sikot at Churachandpur. My father Darrokham who is 94 years old is bedridden. I appeal to the central government to take all required steps to control the law and order situation of the State,” Emelin told ETV Bharat.
Asked what stopped her from visiting her village, Emelin said that the present situation, as well as the lack of proper communication, are two major issues. “There is an airport at Imphal which is one hour away from my village. But we can’t go there because of the threat to our life. The other nearby airport is in Aizawl which is an 18-19 hours long journey. Travelling from Aizawl to Churachandpur is a very costly affair,” said Emelin.
Her sister Dinpui who lived in Chicago, however, managed to visit their father recently. “I am very much worried ever since the ethnic clash broke out in Manipur. I live in Chicago but I am always worried for the safety and security of my family members,” said Dinpui.
Also read: Modi killed the country in Manipur, now trying to burn it, in Haryana: Rahul Gandhi
