Guwahati: Broken windows, charred houses, ravaged churches and religious structures bear witness to arson and violence in the hills and valley areas of Manipur following Wednesday’s Tribal Solidarity March.
From Churachandpur to Imphal, the rupture in ethnic ties between the tribal Kukis and the non-tribals or the Meitei majority is grimly apparent in this trail of destruction.
Tension looms large in Imphal West district, with arson reported in certain areas Thursday afternoon in the wake of slim security presence. In Imphal, the streets wore a deserted look Thursday with only essential services running. Locals huddled in colonies, while a few private vehicles were out on the roads.
As often seen during a crisis, locals are buying fuel from the black market in the wake of curfew and closed fuel stations. A litre of petrol is being sold at Rs 120 in Imphal against the standard price of ₹90.
A temple in Imphal city was an exception, as people attended prayer service amid the statewide curfew.
Government sources, meanwhile, told ThePrint that shoot-at-sight orders have been issued.
On Thursday, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh tweeted a small video appealing to the people to help maintain peace and harmony.
My humble appeal to everyone in the State to cooperate with the Government in maintaining peace & harmony at this hour. pic.twitter.com/qViqbuflWr
— N.Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) May 4, 2023
But even as the Manipur government is conducting meetings to deal with the situation and to clean the mess, the lost trust among the communities appears to be harder to fix.
“We would like to request the government to defuse the tension and give safe passage to affected people so that they can move to their respective places,” said Ajang Khongsai, a local from Lhungjang, Kangpokpi district currently taking refuge at a CRPF camp in Imphal.
Security forces, including the army and the paramilitary Assam Rifles, had evacuated thousands of people throughout Wednesday night from different locations. About 5,000 people are taking shelter in an army camp in Churachandpur, and 2,000 each at temporary camps in Imphal and Moreh districts.
Additional troops of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been rushed to the Northeast state. A team of Rapid Action Force (RAF) landed in Imphal Thursday afternoon and will be deployed in Churachandpur district.
A 32-year-old Meitei man from Imphal West district told ThePrint that the government can still initiate a peace dialogue among the affected communities, and restore peace and confidence among the people.
“The smoke from burning houses is visible everywhere, and an air of fear is present all over the state. It is not very late to call upon the affected communities and start a peace dialogue. In this regard, we are very disappointed with the Biren Singh-led Government. If he had acted in a timely manner, all the violence could have been avoided,” he said.
How it unfolded
The long-standing demand for Meitei inclusion in the list of Scheduled Tribes for reservations and constitutional safeguards has been viewed through different lenses within the Meiteis. But the demand also fuels apprehensions among the tribal population in the hills.
On Wednesday, a rally termed as the Tribal Solidarity March was organised by All Tribal Students Union Manipur (ATSUM) against the demand of Scheduled Tribe status by a section of the Meitei community in the state. Thousands of people joined the rallies across the hill districts. The same day, demonstrations were also held in valley areas.
In Churachandpur, which has been the epicentre of the violence since the past couple of days, reports of miscreants torching the Anglo-Kuki war cemetery in the area led to fresh clashes Wednesday, moments after the rally ended. Groups of locals resorted to stone-pelting at Kangvai Torbung area in Churachandpur district, around 10 km from Moirang in Bishnupur district.
The tension stretched to other areas with large-scale violence reported from various localities in Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts. It spread to Kuki localities in the Imphal Valley and Meitei-inhabited areas in the hill districts.
Many were injured in the clashes and police firing, some grievously. Government sources told ThePrint a police official and a 3 year-old minor have sustained injuries in the Wednesday clashes.
In Imphal West district, violence was reported from areas like Checkon, New Lambulane, Sangaiprou, Game Village among other areas while arson was reported from villages in the hill districts of Churachandpur, Moreh and Kangpokpi. Pictures of upturned benches in churches, damaged temples, ransacked courtyards and burned vehicles were being circulated in the social media Wednesday evening.
Some residents of the affected districts maintain that a few people injured in the clashes had succumbed to their injuries. ThePrint could not independently verify these claims.
ThePrint reached the Superintendents of Police in Churachandpur, Bishnupur and Imphal West districts, but no response was received at the time of publishing this report. It will be updated once an official response comes.
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code Of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) remain imposed in the hill districts of Churachandpur, Tengnoupal, Senapati, Jiribam, Pherzawl, as well as in Kakching, Bishnupur, Imphal West and Thoubal in the Valley. Internet services remain suspended in the state since Wednesday evening for five days until further orders.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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