While Manipur is burning, All Assam Manipuri Students Union from Assam is circulating handouts to the media which claims that a sizeable number of the Manipuri population which is largely Meiteis are at the receiving end.

Meiteis have allegedly been issued a warning letter by the surrendered militant group PAMRA (Peace Accord MNF Returnees Association) to leave Mizoram. This has resulted in a mass exodus claiming members of the Meiteis community.

Speaking to The Statesman, social activist Hijam Rajen said, “The provocative speeches further make things difficult for the Meitei people living in Mizoram. There is no one paying any attention to the atrocities faced by the members of the community”.

The allegations were outright denied by the Kuki Tribal Community. Representatives of ITLF clearly claimed that the atrocities carried out on the Kuki community are there for everyone to see and form an opinion. Instead of accepting the fact on how they have jumbled the whole issue they were leveling allegations.

Countering the claim, Ginza Vualzong, Convenor ITLF said, “ Do we need to tell the world what kind of torture and atrocities the Kuki tribals are living with? There is nothing that needs to be told, it is for everyone to see. The world has witnessed in the past few days what has happened in Manipur in and around. So the blame game is not appropriate at this point. They are forced to leave the reasons known best to them”.

There is an age-old conflict between the Kuki and Meitei communities in the entire region. Meitei is the Hindu group that has maximum representation in the assembly. The Meitei community’s support allowed the Bharatiya Janata Party to form a government. Kuki follows Christianity. The Kukis live in the hills of Manipur while Meitei communities live in the plains of the region.

The Meitei community wants to be included in the scheduled tribe category while the Kuki community of Manipur has been in the scheduled tribe category since 1950. This difference is becoming wider by the day. And this has been the bone of contention and turned the situation volatile.

Earlier in May, Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Manipur and stayed for three days meeting people from all sections of different communities. During his visit to Manipur, the Union Home Minister had wide-ranging discussions with civil society organizations in Imphal. He met a delegation of women leaders (Meira Paibis). Reiterating the significance of the role of women in the society of Manipur, Shah said that together, we are committed to ensuring peace and prosperity in the state.

During his visit, the Union Home Minister visited Moreh and Kangpokpi areas of Manipur. Kangpokpi is the place the women were paraded naked and gang-raped in the month of May. Around that time he interacted with the delegations of various local groups in Moreh followed by meeting with Civil Society Organisations in Kangpokpi.