Manipur violence: Calling out the vultures

 Unfortunately, even as the horror in Manipur unfolded, a section of the so-called intelligentsia, political class, religious groups, and media in the country lost no time to pounce on the situation as vultures for furthering their own nefarious agenda through the peddling of false narratives. They gave the entire situation a communal colour by alleging “religious persecution” of the Kukis by “Hindu Meiteis”, which could not be further from the truth. And the international media was only too happy to lap it up. And even as some Christian bodies screamed “religious persecution” of the Kukis, the European Parliament too expressed concern. No doubt churches were vandalised and destroyed, but so were temples. Similarly, Meitei Christians too came under attack, and their property was burned down by the Kukis, themselves Christians. Nagas, who too are predominantly Christians, have largely remained unaffected by the bloody clashes. But these were of no consequence to the peddlers of false narratives, as they worked as per their script.

The ongoing violence in Manipur has not only claimed over 140 lives, left several hundred injured, and displaced thousands, but has also ignited a political slugfest between the ruling dispensation and the opposition. Unfortunately, it took the viral video of a mob disrobing and parading two tribal ladies to stir the nation out of its utter indifference to the horror the people of the North-eastern State had been up to for almost three months now. But, however horrific it may be, the violence in Manipur has also served to expose several underlying layers of untruths that had been deliberately woven together by actors of suspected integrity to create false narratives over the past several decades to further their own agenda. There’s no two ways about it: the ongoing bloodshed in the State ought to have been reined in long ago. Sadly, the failure on the part of the authorities to do so has not only exacerbated the situation but also allowed the vultures to feast.

Yours truly is not a domain expert in conflict resolution and does not want to discuss the causes and effects. The fact is, the way things have played out thus far, it leaves no room for imagination that a section of this country is savouring the situation. With general elections months away, what better opportunity for the opposition to target and expose the current dispensation for its alleged failure to contain the situation on the ground? But, be that as it may, what, however, cannot be missed is how a section peddled falsehood in the past three months to further their agenda of balkanizing not only Manipur but the entire country in the name of religion. This is, of course, not to justify the violence or the alleged acts of omission and commission on the incumbent’s part.

Anyone with a modicum of knowledge about the region knows how deep the ethnic faultlines run in the Northeast and that they often overlap religious and political boundaries. While Manipur, nay, the entire North-Eastern region, is no stranger to ethnic violence, the ongoing violence in the State once again drives home this bitter truth. Since May 3 this year, when the chain of violence began in Manipur, it has been obvious to any discerning observer that the clash between the dominant Meiteis and the Kuki-Zo tribes was clearly ethnic and not religious. The fear of being overwhelmed by the Kuki-Zo tribes, most of whose members the Meiteis consider illegal immigrants from neighbouring Myanmar, usurpers of land, and involved in illegal poppy cultivation, led the latter to clamour for ST status. And the latest High Court of Manipur’s directive to the State Government to recommend the Centre grant ST status to Meiteis only ignited the already volatile situation. The ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ held in the hill districts on May 3 to oppose such a move proved to be the flashpoint, and the rest is history.

For the uninitiated, three ethnic faultlines exist in Manipur: Naga tribes, Kuki-Zo tribes, and Meiteis. Also, it ought to be remembered that, unlike the Meiteis, neither the Nagas nor the Kukis are a single tribe but an ethnic community that comprises several tribes. Unfortunately, even as the horror in Manipur unfolded, a section of the so-called intelligentsia, political class, religious groups, and media in the country lost no time to pounce on the situation as vultures for furthering their own nefarious agenda through the peddling of false narratives. They gave the entire situation a communal colour by alleging “religious persecution” of the Kukis by “Hindu Meiteis”, which could not be further from the truth. And the international media was only too happy to lap it up. And even as some Christian bodies screamed “religious persecution” of the Kukis, the European Parliament too expressed concern. No doubt churches were vandalised and destroyed, but so were temples. Similarly, Meitei Christians too came under attack, and their property was burned down by the Kukis, themselves Christians. Nagas, who too are predominantly Christians, have largely remained unaffected by the bloody clashes. But these were of no consequence to the peddlers of false narratives, as they worked as per their script.

Just to refresh everyone’s memory, there was a bloody clash between the Nagas and Kukis, both Christians, in Manipur in the 1990s that claimed over a thousand lives. But this remains largely forgotten today, especially by this same boisterous gang crying foul now as it does not suit their agenda, except by the communities that suffered then. In fact, unlike in the rest of the country, all the major conflicts not just in Manipur but across the North-eastern region have been largely ethnic in nature—bbe it the Adivasi-Bodo, Dimasa-Karbi, Dimasa-Naga, or Karbi-Kuki clash. And the underlying reasons too had been largely the same as in Manipur now—ccompetition over land, natural resources, and political power following demographic changes. All these had nothing to do with religion.

For instance, the Khasis or the Jaintias, irrespective of being Christians or followers of traditional faith, will not differentiate a non-tribal Hindu with a non-tribal Christian in Meghalaya as much as the Mizos in Mizoram or some other State in the region. This shows that ethnicity binds a community in the Northeast stronger than religion. Hence, it was time the transnational multi-billion dollar conversion industry that’s active in the region introspected their conduct, realised the futility of trying to convert and organise people on the basis of faith, and stopped trying to make villains out of the sons of the soil due to their non-adherence to the Abrahamic faiths whenever such violence takes place. The emphasis ought to be on bridging the ethnic faultlines rather than driving a new wedge by inserting the element of religion.

Meanwhile, in a development that could signal new ethnic realignment in strife-torn Manipur, the Meiteis and the Nagas seem to be closing in ranks to “tackle” the Kuki-Zo tribes, whom both communities perceive as a common threat. This is evident in the seemingly coming together of the United Naga Council (UNC) and the Co-ordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), powerful bodies representing the Nagas and Meiteis, respectively, to jointly address the issue of the “influx of migrants and illegal immigrants in Manipur.” And, unlike in Assam or Meghalaya, “illegal immigrants” in Manipur largely refer to the Kukis from Myanmar. The ever-changing dynamics vis-à-vis ethnic relationships are thus proof of the fact that, as much as religion can’t be a binding factor, it can’t act as a wedge either among ethnicities in the Northeast.