Amid the ongoing Meitei-Kuki conflict in Manipur, a sacred place for the Meitei community was desecrated by some Kuki people by mounting a cross at the site. A cross and a flag of the Zomi Revolutionary Army were erected on Mount Thangjing, which the Meitei community of Manipur considers to be hallowed ground.
Kukis reportedly desecrated the holy mount earlier this month. Mount Thangjing located in the Churachandpur district is believed to be the abode of Thangching, the ancestral deity of Moirang. There is a temple on the mountain peak which is a pilgrimage site for Hindus in Manipurs.
Visuals of the mountain peak show a cross and a ZRA flag on it. Zomi Revolutionary Army is a Kuki Zomi militant group active in Manipur. The video first emerged on social media on 10 September.
Desecration of Ibudhou Thangjing by the #Kuki by erecting a Cross on the mountain top.
— Sanajaoba Angom (@sana29er) September 10, 2023
Ibudhou Lord Thangjing is one of the sacred pilgrimage sites of #Meitei.
Such blasphemous act is clearly a provocation. #Manipur pic.twitter.com/0CTymHm20O
Meitei Heritage Society posted on X that installing the holy Cross and Militant ZRA’s flag on the holy site in Thangjing Ching is similar to Amarnath or Badrinath Temple being converted into a cemetery. “For Meiteis, this is the abode of Eputhou Thangching, a sacred pilgrimage site and also mentioned in the great Meitei epic Khamba Thoibi,” they added, urging the government to take necessary action.
🚨 This is unacceptable 🚨
— Meitei Heritage Society (@meiteiheritage) September 19, 2023
❗️ Chin Kuki Militants have converted the holy site in Thangjing Ching into a crematorium. Planted a holy Cross and Militant ZRA's flag #CrimeAgainstManipur
❗️This is similar to #Amarnath or #Badrinath Temple being converted into cemetery.
❗️For… pic.twitter.com/pZP4S4txzB
A crematorium has allegedly been installed at the revered location of the Meitei deity on top of Thangjing Hill by a group of miscreants who were believed to be Kukis, according to the Committee on Protection and Preservation of the Historical Rights of the Koubru and Thangjing Hill Ranges (CPPKT). The organisation asserted in a statement that they discovered a Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA) flag and a crucifix on 11 September at the aforementioned location. The Zomi Revolutionary Army is an armed Zomi nationalist insurgent outfit formed in 1997.
The Committee informed that on 13 September they gave a memorandum to Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and filed a complaint with Moirang police station to have the flag and cross taken down. They also noted that Section 4 of the Manipur Ancient & Historical Monuments and Archaeological and Remains Act 1976 protects four hectares of area dedicated to Ibudhou Thangjing at Thangjing hill range, two hectares of Koubru Lai-phamlen (sacred site) and an additional 4 hectares of Koubru Lai Pukhri.
If this is not a blatant attack on Meiteis, what is? pic.twitter.com/P8r5ojDanJ
— Rojningom (@NRojibala) September 21, 2023
The committee has demanded the immediate removal of the cross from the holy site. They urged the Government to take immediate action and added that they have decided to engage in multiple types of demonstrations until the structure is dismantled.
The committee further said that it was a violation of an agreement made with Kuki groups. Notable, the Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO) had placed restrictions on entry to Mount Thangjing last year. In response, the Committee on Protection and Preservation of the Historical Rights of the Koubru and Thangjing Hill Ranges had placed counter-restrictions on the entry of Kukis at the Moirang Bazar.
Later in a meeting between the two groups chaired by the DGP, both parties agreed to lift the restrictions. Y Shyam Kuman, the general secretary of the committee, said that KSO has violated the agreement, and said that they will file a legal case and an FIR against KSO.
Thangching (also known as Thangjing in modern Meitei) is one of the Guardian deities guarding the ten directions per the ancient Meitei mythology (old Manipuri mythology). He has a particular status as the national deity of the former Moirang kingdom which is located in the southern Kangleipak region of the northeastern state.
The ancient Moirang kingdom’s seven divine manifestations of the God and Goddess of Love are reputed to have been invoked by Thangching who is credited with playing a significant part in the sacred event. He stands out as a notable figure who is recognised for sending messages to humans through appearances in their dreams. Southern Manipur’s Moirang is home to Thangching who sits upon Thangjing Hill (also called Thangching Hill).
Manipur Violence
The ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities in the northeastern state of Manipur has already resulted in more than 100 fatalities and thousands of displaced residents.
The first clashes occurred on 3 May following a “Tribal Solidarity March” organised by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) in the hill areas to oppose the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Tensions rose in April as a result of a Manipur High Court decision ordering the state administration to make a decision regarding the Scheduled Tribe status issue.
The Manipur Police informed the Supreme Court that more than 6,500 police cases had been brought in the roughly three-month span between May 3 and July 30. According to a police report filed in the Supreme Court, the majority of police cases have been classified as “arson, looting, and destruction of house property.”
These cases in thousands, inflated by multiple zero FIRs over the same cases are arson (4,454), looting (4,148), destruction of house property (4,694), and damage to public property (584). These statistics illustrate the enormous damage to property in the northeastern state during the height of the ethnic unrest.
