After fresh violence erupted in several places in Manipur in the ongoing conflict between Kuki and Meitei communities, chief minister N Biren Singh strongly condemned the attack on civilians by Kuki militants on 27 May. The CM addressed a press conference today to talk about the current situation in the state.
Referring to the Kuki militants as terrorists, the CM said that civilians are constantly being attacked despite repeated appeals to maintain peace. He also informed that as many as 33 Kuki militants were killed during the attack, where heavy gunfire took place with security forces. Apart from that, several militants were also arrested by security forces.
The N Biren Singh stressed that the clashes took place between security forces and Kuki militants, not between people of the two communities. The CM said that the terrorist groups are using sophisticated arms against the civilian population. “The gunfight is between the armed terrorists and the security forces and not between the communities. So I urge common people to maintain peace and stay united,” he said.
The clashes took place at around half a dozen places in Manipur, as army and central armed forces began operations to de-arm the communities involved in the conflict over ST state demand by Meiteis and eviction of encroachment on forest land by Kuki immigrants from Myanmar.
The CM said that clashes broke out in the early hours of the morning at several places in different districts surrounding the Imphal Valley. Giving more information, an official said, “According to our information, firing has been reported from Sugnu in Kakching, Kangvi in Churachandpur, Kangchup in Imphal West, Sagolmang in Imphal East, Nungoipokpi in Bishenpur, Khurkhul in Imphal West and YKPI in Kangpokpi.”
The gunfire took place after Kuki militants torched many houses in several areas in the state. When security forces launched an operation to nab the arsonists, they opened fire, resulting in a heavy gunfight. Several civilians were injured in the attacks, with at least two deaths.
Following the violence, an operation has been launched to locate the Kuki militants involved in the gun attack last night. Helicopters are also used for surveillance of the area to spot the militants, now dubbed terrorists by CM Singh.
The CM said that the recent spurt in violent attacks on civilian houses in and around Imphal Valley seemed “well-planned and simultaneous” to show their capacity. He said that the government will not allow the disintegration of Manipur, will protect the state’s integrity and uproot the armed terrorists from the state. He also reassured that the government will face every challenge against the territorial integrity of the state and attacks on the life and property of the people.
Earlier in the day, Army Chief General Manoj Pande met Singh and discussed the current security situation in Manipur and the steps taken by the Army to restore peace.
Earlier on 26th May, the house of BJP MP and union minister Rajkumar Ranjan Singh was attacked by a mob in Imphal. A large crowd had surrounded the house, but the security forces successfully thwarted their efforts to enter the premises. The came after the Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Education expressed concern over demand of demand for a separate political administration by the Kuki tribals in Manipur, which he said was same as a demand for a separate state.
In a letter written to the prime minister, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh said that Kuki leaders, including their 10 MLAs, have demanded a separate political administration for the tribals under tremendous pressure from various quarters, including the militants. He had said that the demanding a separate political administration, equivalent to a separate state, is a very dangerous proposition for a small state with 35 ethnic groups.
The house of BJP MLA Khwairakpam Raghumani Singh at Uripok in Imphal West was allegedly vandalised and his two vehicles were set on fire. On Wednesday, the residence of Konthoujam Govindas, the Minister of Manipur PWD, Youth Affairs, and Sports, located in Bishnupur district, was vandalised by a mob.
Manipur saw massive ethnic violence earlier this month following a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ organised by tribal groups on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. They were also protesting against eviction of Kuki villages from reserve forest land. According to the CM and Meitei groups, most of those Kuki people are from Myanmar.
The state govt’s action against poppy cultivation by the tribal communities have also contributed to the tension.
Around 140 columns of the Indian Army and Assam Rifles, totalling over 10,000 personnel, besides personnel from other paramilitary forces had to be deployed to bring back normalcy in Manipur.
