In a press statement, the Manipur Citizen Forum (MCF) said that the ongoing violence in the state has seriously affected the lives of 33 lakhs of people, particularly in healthcare, education, economy and many other spheres of life. Considering the intensity of the violence and the deteriorating law and order situation, there is an apprehension that the other ethnic communities may not remain mere silent spectators, which may lead to a Civil War.
The violence which broke out on May 3, 2023, at Torbung, Bishnupur District, could have been averted had the State Government taken timely action before and after the violence.
Unfortunately, the government has failed to prevent the situation due to “intelligence failure and lapses on the part of the security apparatus of the State” for a long time, as admitted by the Hon’ble Chief Minister, who is also the in-charge of the Home Department, the statement added.
The 5-month-long spiral of violence has claimed at least 180 innocent lives while displaced around one lakh people of the state and compelled them to live in relief camps with subhuman living conditions.
Despite heavy deployment of both state and central security forces to contain the orgy of violence. But, there is no sign of restoration of peace and displaced people going back to their original villages. Rather, the ethnic divide between the Meiteis and Kukis is deepening with blame game between the ethnic communities as to who started first. The irony is that the issues have turned into a direct confrontation between the ethnic communities viz. the Meiteis and the Kukis.
Condemning the kidnapping and murder of two Metei students, the citizen forum said that the abduction and merciless killing of two Meitei students including a minor girl-student allegedly by Kuki terrorists is highly condemnable. The government must take prompt action to find out the culprits and book under most stringent Acts to restore the faith of the people of Manipur, the student community in particular, towards the establishment.
Drug Trafficking from across the border and large scale Poppy Plantations in the hill areas of Kuki populated districts of Manipur is one of the reasons for this violence. Another reason is prolonged and continuous entry of illegal immigrants of Chin-Kuki-Zo people from across the border (Myanmar) in Manipur, especially in the Kuki inhabited districts. This has caused a fear-psychosis among the majority community Meiteis that one day they may reduce to minority status, the citizen forum opined.
Another related issue is massive human settlement in Reserved Forest and other classified forest areas in Kuki dominated districts, the statement reads.
They said, the above mentioned issue is to be handled by the state government and central government without involving the general public. Considering all the issues Manipur Citizen Forum also submitted a memorandum to the Hon’ble President of India, through the Hon’ble Governor of Manipur, to personally intervene and take up the issues with the state and central government, to end the violence and to restore peace and normalcy in the state.
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