Editorial || Why is it right on the part of PUCL to use the terms 'driven away' and 'moved out' to highlight differences the two communities face in Manipur crisis

Kukis are victims of a systematic ethnic cleansing pogrom, while sections of Meiteis living in Kuki-dominated areas faced the repercussions of the heinous and dirty politics orchestrated from Imphal. Yes, the mastermind behind the suffering of both communities is the same, but the intensity and magnitude of the suffering differ. Thus, to equate them on the same wavelength is, in itself, an injustice.

Hundreds and thousands of mobs, although too well coordinated to be called mobs, attacked Kuki localities in Imphal. They were singled out in government quarters, universities, private hostels, rented houses, and hospitals. They were subjected to different kinds of torture if found: mob lynching, sexual molestation, rape, and even being burnt to death. Military vehicles were not spared from the attacks. Meanwhile, Meiteis from Kuki areas reached safer destinations, either on foot or by their vehicles, without facing any attacks on the way. Thus, it is right on the part of PUCL to use the terms “driven away” and “moved out” to highlight the differences the two communities had to face.

The Kukis deserve to be applauded for preserving their sanity despite the torture and persecution their community endured in Imphal. At a time when the government was missing in action and law enforcement agencies stood paralyzed, Kukis were left completely unprotected. The government’s stance not only abandoned them but also led to the displacement of Meiteis from Kuki areas as a consequence. Unlike Kuki’s whose safety are solely left over to God and their luck, they still got the option to seek protection safely.

The reality of Kuki survival over the past few years is something those in the valley will never truly grasp. From access to education and healthcare, to government funding and infrastructure, from biased evaluation in examinations to discrimination in recruitment processes — in virtually every sphere, the Kukis have faced systemic exclusion. If a temporary blockade of the national highway can rattle New Delhi, then the scale of discrimination endured by the Kukis is of such magnitude that, if experienced by the valley communities, it would have shaken the entire nation.

The question, then, is when will the majority community start introspecting rather than questioning the fairness of various fact-finding tribunals or organisations like EGI and PUCL, among others? Is it not too late to blame the fact-finding committees when the videos circulated on social media, originating from the attackers themselves verify the testimony of the victims? Their wounds, their medical reports, and the deaths stand tall as evidence of what they were subjected to in Imphal. The fact-finding committees saw the living conditions of the displaced victims, and the contrast and discriminatory treatment they witnessed was none other than the government’s own doing. So who should be blamed— for the government’s discriminatory treatment or for the committees saying it out loud?

Denied as you may want, the fact remains that the peripheries between Kuki and Meitei areas were never safe for Kukis. Men in police uniforms, carrying Arambai Tenggol flags, attacked innocent villagers and set their villages on fire — and yes, this is exactly what happened at the very beginning of the violence. One cannot cry foul when the likes of that  policeman who held the severed head of David Theik Hmar still walks free and remains in service as an example.

Arambai Tenggol is another case of defending the indefensible. It takes years of training and recruitment to form a military organisation like them, yet they sprung out of nowhere and became the de facto rulers of Manipur for a while. At their peak, they could summon and dictate elected representatives and ministers to take an oath they themselves wrote. Yet the whole world is supposed to believe what Imphal media and Meitei journalists’ parrot. Parroting anything different is labelled as an anti-Meitei narrative.

Incitement of hatred among communities is not a part of freedom of speech and expression. The government of Manipur, however, made an exception for organisations like Meetei Leepun to flourish. The CM of Manipur could be seen using their language on multiple occasions. He didn’t turn a blind eye but instead fuelled the hate ecosystem against Kukis in the state. And today, we don’t see any protests organised by Meitei communities to prosecute Mr. Biren Singh after his leaked audio tape got exposed. So who is being unfair here?

In truth, the suffering of Kukis and Meiteis cannot be placed on the same wavelength. For the Kukis, the atrocities were part of a planned, systemic purge while for the Meiteis, they were largely repercussions of political manipulation. To call out fact-finding committees as biased is to evade responsibility. Introspection, rather than denial, is what will ultimately benefit the Meitei community too. Being dictated by radicals is not strength; it is regression.