Guwahati: As many as 550 civil society groups and individuals from across the country came together to condemn the continuing violence in Manipur and urged all parties for an immediate cease-fire.
Expressing deep concern over the continuing ethnic violence in Manipur between the Meitei community and the tribal Kuki and Zo communities since early May, a joint statement of 500 representatives of civil society organisations and individuals people from across the nation called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his “deafening silence on the ongoing civil war in the hills and valley areas of Manipur.”
The groups demanded an immediate halt to this ongoing violence and highlighted the need for independent, non-partisan civil society members to visit the survivors and the bereaved; make attempts to verify reports of killings and rapes.
They also demanded the formation of a court-monitored tribunal to establish facts and prepare the ground for justice and healing of the gaping wound that separates communities of Manipur to mitigate the divisiveness and hatred being engineered.
The civil society groups further demanded the setting up of a fast-track court for all cases of sexual violence by state and non-state actors, as recommended by the Verma Commission.
They further asked for the government to ensure relief to those forced to flee and their safe return to their villages to rebuild their homes and lives. The civil society groups also demanded ex-gratia compensation for those who lost loved ones, suffered injuries and the loss of homes, grain, livestock and so on.
This process of return, rehabilitation and compensation should be overseen by a panel of retired judges who know the region closely, perhaps appointed by the High Court or Supreme Court, they added.
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“We are deeply concerned about the continuing ethnic violence in Manipur between the Meitei community and the tribal Kuki and Zo communities. We demand an immediate halt to this violence that is causing a large-scale disruption of lives, livelihoods and properties and unleashing even more terror among people,” the statement said.
“Clearly, the role of BJP lies in using force and coercion to entrench its foothold in the state. Pretending to be an ally to both the communities, it is only widening the chasm of historical tensions between them without any effort till date to facilitate dialogue towards resolution,” they further said.
“Chief Minister Biren Singh is closely associated with these groups. Both groups vilify the Kuki community as “illegal outsiders” and “narco-terrorists”. The Chief of Meitei Leepun, in a press interview, did not hesitate to state publicly that Kukis in areas disputed by Meiteis would be wiped out. He also termed the Kuki community to be illegal, outsiders; not part of the family; not indigenous to Manipur and tenants in Manipur,” the statement said.
“It is noted that Kuki armed groups solicited votes for the BJP in the 2022 assembly elections, and seven of the ten Kuki MLAs in the Manipur Assembly are from BJP. Propaganda by Kuki groups also takes a leaf from the BJP book and, invoking precedents where Kuki leaders have collaborated with Indian state interests, brands the Meiteis as anti-India. Reports suggest that the overwhelming majority of those killed in the ongoing violence are from the Kuki community. Reportedly over 200 Kuki churches have been burned, along with schools, granaries and homes,” they further said.
Also Read | Manipur violence not ethnic, between govt and illegal occupants: CM Biren