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France 24
16-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Inside India's ignored conflict: where is Manipur's path to reconciliation?
43:05 Issued on: 43:05 min From the show Call it India's ignored conflict: it's been two years since violence in Manipur erupted, yet 60-thousand remain displaced by intercommunal tensions between the majority Meitei and the Kuki-Zo communities. We'll ask why mediation efforts have stalled and what's changed since the central government imposed President's Rule from Delhi at the start of the year. We'll ask why the prime minister's remained mostly silent on Manipur, why foreign journalists have to apply for special accreditation which is rarely granted. and ask our panel to react to our exclusive report filmed by France 24's local team. More broadly, what lessons can the rest of India draw, particularly in regards to unrest and insurgencies in other border areas like Kashmir and the mountains near China? Produced by Rebecca Gnignati, Elisa Amiri, Ilayda Habip.
New Indian Express
02-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Manipur's moral imagination takes off after a crash
Twenty-five months after a violent ethnic conflict broke out between Meiteis and KukiZo tribes, and four months into president's rule, the guns have more or less fallen silent in Manipur. There are sighs of relief everywhere, yet none is fooled into believing that this is peace. It is, at best, the proverbial peace of the graveyard. There is little to be surprised about this. The inferno that raged in the state for two years was unprecedented and bloody, claiming over 260 lives and displacing an estimated 60,000 people. There has also been a matching scale of losses of properties to arson attacks, and worse still, the two sides have mutually cleansed each other from their traditional home-grounds. The Meiteis are primarily in the Imphal valley and the Kukis-Zo in the foothills adjoining the valley. In the higher reaches are the Nagas. Probably fatigue and a realisation of the senselessness of continued hostility are ensuring this semblance of calm. But for this 'negative peace', as Johan Galtung called it, to transform into 'positive peace', a reconciliatory process is vital. There can be no gainsaying that horrific atrocities have happened, but in paving a path to reconciliation, both warring sides must first overcome their victimhood syndrome and have the courage to acknowledge they have been both the victims as well as the perpetrators, depending on the locations of riots. Casualty figures bear testimony to this. From day one of the conflict, social media has played a key role in igniting and fueling inflammatory passions. If not for it, in all likelihood, the trouble could have been arrested at Torbung area itself where arson rampages first broke out on the afternoon of May 3, 2023. Terabytes after terabytes of misinformation and disinformation have flooded social media space ever since, making the overall atmosphere corrosive and toxic. Then suddenly, an event of 'terrible beauty' happened to temporarily cleanse Manipur's social media spaces of this toxicity. In a devastating tragedy, on June 12, the London-bound Air India flight crashed soon after take-off from Ahmedabad. Among the cabin crew were two flight attendants from Manipur—one a Kuki, Lamnunthem Singson, 26, and the other a Meitei, Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma, 20.
Hindustan Times
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Manipur begins exercise to prepare database for persons displaced by ongoing conflict
The Manipur government has begun the exercise of collating database of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) affected by the ongoing ethnic conflict in the state since May 2023, an official in the state government said. Deputy commissioner Mayanglambam Rajkumar Singh of Imphal West District, in a notice on Wednesday, said the government of Manipur is conducting an exercise of capturing data of IDPs residing in the state through a portal developed by the IT department. 'This exercise will cover both the categories of IDPs staying in the relief camps as well as those staying at various places outside the relief camps,'the notice said. Also Read: Govt, Kuki-Zo groups reach understanding to relocate camps to tribal areas As part of this exercise, the district administration Imphal West has started and is in near completion of capturing the data of the IDPs staying at the various relief camps of Imphal West district, it added. It also stated that all the IDPs residing outside the relief camps of Imphal West district to contact the concerned authorities to facilitate the capturing of details of the IDPs within a week's time, latest by June 25,2025. More than 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and adjoining hills-based Kuki Zo groups in Manipur since May 2023. Since then, most of the displaced people are staying in relief camps across the state while some are taking shelter outside the state.
Time of India
14-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Death of cabin crew members blurs Kuki-Meitei divide
1 2 3 4 5 6 Kolkata: In the heart of Manipur, profound sorrow has woven its way through the fabric of a community long divided by conflict. The tragic loss of the two cabin crew members — a Kuki and a Meitei — in Thursday's Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad has momentarily eclipsed the strife between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities, uniting them in shared grief. Ever since the news of the crash broke on Thursday afternoon, family members began prayers for Lamnunthiem Singson, a Kuki Zo and Nganthoi Sharma Kongbrailakpam, a Meitei girl, both part of the 10-member cabin crew on board the ill-fated Air India flight. A day later, civil society organisations and individuals have come forward, offering their support, while social media has become a canvas for heartfelt condolences and prayers for the young souls lost too soon. "People of Manipur are collectively heartbroken, leaving aside the narrow community lines. Our state has been divided for over two years on ethnic lines. Tragically, in their death, the angels of the sky brought together the two communities and left a grim reminder of how precious human lives are and the need for peaceful coexistence, as we have done for centuries," a spokesperson for the Delhi-based Meitei Heritage Society said. Nganthoi's relatives rushed to Ahmedabad on Friday for a DNA test after authorities asked her cousin N Khenjita to fly down. Family members of Kuki cabin crew Lamnunthiem Singson are also in Ahmedabad for similar tests. "In their passing, they have become angels of the sky, reminding us of the preciousness of human life and the urgent need for peace," he added. In a gesture of remembrance, the Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO) in Delhi announced a candlelight march to honour all victims of the crash. They reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the grieving families, particularly noting the plight of Singson, who was the sole breadwinner for her family displaced by ethnic violence. Her family, now residing in a rented house in Kangpokpi, faces an uncertain future without her. The outpouring of support has been overwhelming. From politicians to everyday citizens, both within Manipur and beyond, expressions of disbelief and sorrow have flooded in. One 'X' user said, "In life, they came from communities divided by conflict, and in death, they remind us that, in the end, we all share the same fate." Manipur Congress leader Lamtinthang Haokip took to social media to honour the young women, offering his deepest condolences to their families. "May their souls rest in peace," he wrote, echoing the sentiments of a community united in mourning by the shared loss of two bright stars extinguished too soon. Former chief minister N Biren Singh tweeted late on Thursday, saying how two young girls from Manipur, a Kuki-Zo and Meitei had possibly lost their lives in the Ahmedabad air crash. "It is heartbreaking to share that two young cabin crew members from Manipur, Kongrabailatpam Nganthoi Sharma and Lamnunthem Singson, were among those who lost their lives in today's Air India crash in Ahmedabad," he wrote on 'X'. "Both were full of life, serving with dedication and pride. Their sudden passing is a huge loss for their families, friends, and for all of us back home," he wrote, adding: "May their souls rest in peace and may their loved ones find the strength to get through this unimaginable pain. " Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
12-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Strife-torn Manipur prays for safety of Kuki, Meitei cabin members
1 2 3 4 5 6 Guwahati: Two years after a bloody conflict between Meiteis and Kukis in Manipur left over 250 dead and scores displaced, Manipur on Thursday were praying for Lamnunthiem Singson, a Kuki Zo and Nganthoi Sharma Kongbrailakpam, a Meitei girl, both part of the 10-member cabin crew on board the ill-fated Air India flight. Hoping against all odds for some positive news, families of the relatives of two girls from Manipur said with no official communication coming, all they can do was remain glued to television sets. The families have tried calling phone numbers, but the countless attempts have been futile and in a desparate attempt have sent their members staying in Delhi to Ahmedabad. "We heard about the disaster, but we do not know anything about her. No one has contacted us and given us any official information. We are just praying," 26-year-old Lamnunthiem's brother Ngambom told TOI, pleading whether the newspaper had any news about his sister. He said that Lamnunthiem made a call to their mother early morning just before boarding the flight, as she always does before reporting for duty, mostly on international flights. Lamnunthiem, 26, from the Kuki-Zo community is an internally-displaced person from Imphal. A year-long ethnic conflict that has left scores dead in Manipur, her family currently stays in Kangpokpi. The other girl, 20-year-old Meitei girl Nganthoi is from Thoubal district. "We called her up several times after receiving the news but nobody picked up the calls. The internet on her phone is also still on. However, we stopped calling her around 6 pm fearing it would drain the battery," Nganthoi's relative, K Khenjita, told reporters. A cousin of the cabin crew member said her last message before take-off was, "I'm going to London. In a few minutes, we'll take off. We may not be able to talk for a while." Locals were shocked to hear the news of the crash in Awang Leikai in Thoubal, as the news of the crash reached the Sharma residence. Another relative said they were trying to get news about her and said her photos and videos are being widely shared. "It is really hurting us all as we are trying to balance our emotional trauma along with the challenge to get news," she said. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
