Latest news with #Kukis
Time of India
21 hours ago
- Time of India
Student bodies issue 24-hr ultimatum to Kukis over assault on taxi
Imphal: In a fresh flare-up amid ongoing unrest in Manipur, the Katho Katamnao Long (KKL) and the Tangkhul Naga Valley Students' Association (TNVSA) have issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the Kuki community to identify and produce those allegedly involved in a mob attack on a taxi heading to Ukhrul. The incident reportedly took place on Thursday in Mongkot Chepu village, where a woman passenger was injured after a mob assaulted the vehicle's driver and damaged the windshield. Sources said the confrontation began near Litan Bridge after two persons on a bike overtook the taxi in a reckless manner. When the driver confronted them for their dangerous driving, the bikers allegedly stopped the van and assaulted him. A mob then gathered at Mongkot Chepu and vandalised the vehicle, injuring the woman passenger. The Tangkhul student bodies condemned the incident, claiming that members of the Kuki community residing along the Imphal-Ukhrul highway (NH-202) were responsible. They also criticised the Mongkot Chepu village chief for allegedly threatening the driver and passengers, reportedly while under the influence of alcohol. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Esta CFD de BCP está en los titulares — y está haciendo ganar dinero a la gente. TradeMind Haz clic aquí Undo The organisations said this was not an isolated incident and cited repeated instances of intimidation and assault on commuters along the route. They asserted that previous appeals for peace had been ignored, and their restraint was being interpreted as weakness. In a joint statement, the KKL and TNVSA warned of "serious and unbearable consequences" if the accused are not produced within 24 hours. They threatened to block all movement of Kukis along NH-202 and bar their presence in Ukhrul district. According to the officer-in-charge of Litan police station, the incident occurred around 7:15pm on Thursday. He said both parties are currently negotiating a compromise, and no FIR has been registered as of now.
The Wire
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Wire
The Meitei Voices From Manipur Who Paid the Price For Criticising Biren Singh
New Delhi: This June 22, a low intensity bomb exploded near the residence of the former Manipur deputy chief minister Y. Joykumar. Police search unearthed another bomb, 'a battery-fitted' one, hidden at a meira shang (a public shed) near his house. Local news reports stated that the bomb was suspected to have been planted at the location by 'militants'. The explosive might have been triggered remotely, according to the police. Though no one was injured, the fact that the bombs were planted on the busy DC Road of Imphal in an afternoon has angered the residents of the area. Local women carried out a sit-in protest urging 'all groups' to 'avoid actions that could put the lives of innocent civilian in danger.' For over two years now, Manipur has been under the cloud of an ethnic conflict. It also means that the two communities directly identified with, and affected by, that conflict – the Kukis and the Meiteis – don't usually step into areas (districts) where they are not in a majority for the fear of coming under communal attack. Even though President's Rule has been clamped in February, that 'buffer zone' between the hill and the valley districts of the border state – a byproduct of that conflict – has not been lifted. Incidents of violence, like the bomb blast on June 22 at Imphal, and one in Churachandpur in April, continue. With none criss-crossing through each other's 'territories', the sit-in protesters in Imphal were essentially urging 'all groups' (read militants/armed militia) belonging only to the valley districts – areas where the Meitei community is in a majority. They were urging the armed groups within their own community not to target them, and other civilians. As such, the conflict has been between the Kukis and the Meities, but it would be ingenuous of anyone to look at it merely as a black and white case where the division has been firmed up only on ethnic lines. Voices questioning N. Biren Singh face threats and physical attacks Many political and civil society voices within the Meitei community who have questioned the chief minister (now former) N. Biren Singh about the conflict that had unfolded under his watch; some expressing concern at the unchallenged power enjoyed by an armed militia like the Arambai Tenggol formed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajya Sabha MP L. Sanajaoba, and seen to be backed by Singh as the chief minister, have faced continuous threats and physical attacks – so much so that some such voices have to leave their home state, lest their houses would be burnt; their safety not guaranteed by Manipur Police. Till recently, Biren Singh was also the state's home minister. By now, it is well-known that noted Imphal-based human rights activist Babloo Loitongbam had to leave home for speaking up after he gave an interview to a Newsclick journalist in Imphal during the ethnic conflict in 2023. In the interview, Loitongbam had pointed fingers at Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Leepun for the violence unleashed on the Kuki residents in the valley areas. After the interview, he was accused of bringing a bad name to the Meitei community; his house was vandalised and he was forced to issue an apology. Even after he had left Imphal, in September 2024, at least 50 people from Meitei Leepun had landed up at his office-cum-house and threatened his family. His ageing father was at the house then. It has been two years now that Loitongbam, an important civil society voice from Manipur who also was the force behind the Supreme Court taking note of 1,528 'fake' encounters in that north-eastern state, has to stay in self exile in Delhi and elsewhere. Those 'fake' encounters carried out by security forces in Manipur over a period of time under the cover of Armed Forces (Special Powers ) Act, were mostly on men from the Meitei community. It was an important intervention for the conflict-ridden state, and for the community in general which has been bearing the brunt of the enduring conflict in that state. And yet, Loitongbam has to stay away from his family at Imphal now because of the direct threats to him and his family by radical groups like Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Leepun, with state police unable to give him protection. Yet another example of such a self-exile from the Meitei community during the ethnic conflict is 68-year-old Nabashyam Heigrujan, chairman of the Meitei World Council. The website of the Imphal-based Council describes itself as a 'movement' that 'envisages the re-awakening and rejuvenation of the Meetei people through conscious collective efforts for social advancement, the pursuit of happiness and reclaiming our instruments of humanity to achieve our cause for a dignified life.' The Council bats for granting Scheduled Tribe status to the Meitei community. Though Nabashyam, who also taught at the Imphal College, is now a civil society activist, in 2017, he had contested the state elections, unsuccessfully, as a candidate of the Trinamool Congress. After he moved to Delhi in mid-2024, Nabashyam, in an interview to The Wire, had categorically stated that the Biren Singh government 'could have controlled' the situation on May 3, 2023, but it didn't. Also Read: Manipur Tapes: CM's Brother, Arambai Tenggol Founder's Threats To 'Traitors' Who Leaked Tapes to 'Enemy' Contradict Biren's 'Doctored' Claim He had also said that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi had wanted to restore order and peace in Manipur, he could have done it 'in 24 hours buts has failed to do so'. On asked why he had to leave Imphal for good last year, Nabashyam told this correspondent, 'My only mistake seemed to be that I took to social media platform X last year to say that the then chief minister Biren Singh was responsible for what is happening in Manipur. As the CM, it was his duty to maintain law and order in my state. I spoke up. And since that day, my life has not remained the same." "Twice, armed thugs came to my house in Imphal to threaten me. An FIR was also filed against me on false charges. I finally had to seek bail from the court. I realised I will have to self-exile myself. So, in July 2024, I shifted base to Delhi while my wife has remained in Imphal. Because of that tweet, I am separated from my family,' Nabashyam had added. Nabashyam said, 'Even in Delhi, the address was somehow found and three thugs were sent to threaten me so that I don't speak against Biren Singh.' 'It is only money power. In Manipur, if you give money today, it is not difficult to take one's life.' On reminding him that there is President's Rule in the state, he replied, 'There is no popular government in Manipur yet; the situation is still fluid. Singh may not be the chief minister anymore, but he is still very powerful. He has money power. It is not safe for me to return home as yet.' When armed group 'close to Singh' picked up veteran journalist This correspondent reached out to veteran journalist Laba Yambem who was picked up from his residence in Imphal by militants belonging to the United National Liberation Front (Pambei) just a day after Biren Singh had to step down as the chief minister this past February. His offence was, speaking up against a militant group from the Meitei community which had, in November 2023, signed a peace agreement with the Modi government, facilitated by Biren Singh. The group is seen 'close to Singh' in the state. Laba had stated on a local television channel in Imphal then the need for the government to control the outfit, which is overground with arms even after having signed the peace deal. Laba had to eventually upload a video, taking back his words as the price for his freedom. Considered a vocal critic of Biren Singh, the journalist who contributes to The Statesman, was also arrested in October 2024 in a case which he had categorically called 'fake'. Some months ago, he had also filed a petition on phone tapping with the National Human Rights Commission. Laba recounted, 'A lot of things have happened before that abduction in February. Just days after the ethnic conflict broke out, I had alleged that the victory of Biren Singh's second wife from the Chandel assembly seat in 2022 was done with help of Kuki militants. It was confirmed to me by one of their top leaders. I had alleged that it was the reason why Biren Singh did not act against Kuki boys forming part of the May 3 2023 rally with M-16 rifles which eventually led to the violence." "The news was published in Sangai Express, which under the pressure of the chief minister, also carried an apology for that story. In September 2024, at around 3.30 am, my house in Imphal came under heavy gun fire just because I had issued a statement that day to the effect that Biren is not Manipur and that Manipur is not Biren and the choice is before the people of Manipur," said Laba. "Then, in November, 2024, at least 30 armed men barged into my residence and at gunpoint directed me to remove a Facebook post which I had uploaded that day. I had immediately informed the police but it took them one month to take up the investigation. The point is, the room for a free and fair discussion on any topic relating to the state and society no longer exists in Manipur,' Laba added. He then repeated what Nabashyam had told The Wire, 'Biren Singh is no longer in power but the disruption done to the body polity of the state remains.' Prior to joining politics, Biren Singh was a fellow journalist. In Imphal, a well-known story goes that once, Singh, as a journalist, was 'summoned' by the Meitei militant group, UNLF, along with some others, a practice long endured by many in that state. Singh was asked to stay back by the banned armed group while all others were allowed to leave. 'It was all thanks to Pradip Panjhoubham (then the editor of the Imphal Free Press) who insisted that since they came together, they should leave together. He was allowed to return but the newspaper he headed then was banned from publishing (by the militants),' Laba recalled. He also added, 'Finally, it was me who did the negotiations to ensure that the publication of that paper was resumed. I cooked lunch and invited everyone home to ensure that the compromise between UNLF, Biren Singh who was its editor, and the publisher David went through.' Inspite of such threats, Laba, though, has stayed put in Imphal. On asked about it, he quoted Shakespeare, 'I returned from Delhi in 1983 because it's my homeland, my country. I intend to stay here because as William Shakespeare had famously said in Macbeth, 'Come what may, time and hour runs through the roughest day.'' Yet another person who has chosen to continue staying in Imphal, even though she has been relentlessly threatened by armed militias allegedly close to powers be, is former decorated police officer Thonoujam Brinda. During the conflict, she came across as a powerful voice in the valley areas to have questioned the chief minister about his claim about drug peddling only by the Kuki community. That she particularly chose to speak up about Singh as the chief minister 'asking' her to not go after a drug 'king pin' from the Kuki community in 2020 even though he was caught with contraband by her team, made her a target for groups like Meitei Leepun. 'Singh is using brute force as a means to silence his critics' Though not all can endure the pressure from the near and dear ones to either remain quiet, or leave Manipur, for the fear of being harmed. Erendro Leichombam is one such name from the Meitei community. An alumni of Harvard University, Erendro had returned home around 2016 and co-formed a political party, People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance, with noted Manipuri anti-AFSPA activist Irom Sharmila. They contested assembly elections in 2017, unsuccessfully. Sharmila, thereafter, left Manipur and Erendro continued in Imphal as a political activist. In 2018, he was charged under the National Security Act (NSA) for commenting on a video clip where some men from Bihar were seen threatening to eliminate Manipuris. State police asked him to remove the video with the comments from Facebook which he refused; called it a hate video and said that 'while the state cyber crime branch had arrested a person in no time for threatening to kill the son of the chief minister N. Biren Singh, those threatening to kill Manipuris were not being arrested by the police.' Alongside Erendro, an Imphal-based young journalist Wangkhem Kishorechandra was also arrested under the NSA. That was Kishore's third arrest in the Biren era. All those arrests were triggered by his scathing criticism of the chief minister, PM Modi and the BJP-RSS. He continues to reside in Imphal. Just recently, Erendro was granted political asylum by the United States, and has since left the country. This June 19, he wrote a long post on Facebook about his self exile. 'I did not choose exile. It arrived like a severance – swift, political, intimate…I was an outspoken political activist. I spoke my mind, loudly and clearly – and for that, I was imprisoned. More than once, Eventually, I was forced to leave not because I was wrong, but because I would not stop. I left Manipur in 2022," Erendro said. "In 2025, I was granted political asylum by the United States government. America has gracefully given me political asylum. It was a moment of profound relief – and sorrow. Relief, because I was safe. Sorrow because exile is never a celebration. It is a confirmation that something deeply unjust has taken root in one's homeland,' Erendro added in the post. Yet another civil rights activist from Imphal, Binalakshmi Nepram, has also been in the United States in political asylum after facing threats to her life for supporting a family whose son was allegedly gunned down by Biren Singh's son in broad daylight in Imphal in 2017. 'While Bina has not come home, as per a Supreme Court order, her parents' house in Sagolband area of Imphal is still being guarded by a team of the Central Reserve Police Force,' related Laba. Even though threats to Bina took place during the first term of Biren Singh as the BJP chief minister, Laba said it was 'good and Manipur was poised to return to normalcy'. But what happened in the second term? 'If you ask me, Singh has no experience in handling crisis of such magnitude, and therefore, began using brute force as a means to silence his critics, both in politics, civil society and media.'
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Kuki, Meitei legislators urged to rise above politics to resolve ethnic conflict
Imphal, A Manipur-based civil society organisation has urged Kuki and Meitei legislators to rise above politics and take responsibility to solve the ethnic conflict in the state. Kuki, Meitei legislators urged to rise above politics to resolve ethnic conflict The organisation - World Meetei Council - acknowledged that "wrongs have occurred on both sides" and asked how long the people should continue to bear the pain. In a statement, the council said, "The conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities has persisted for over two years and two months, with countless lives disrupted, families shattered, and communities divided. Despite several efforts, the Centre has not been able to bring about the desired resolution." The World Meetei Council asked Kuki and Meitei legislators "to rise above politics and take ownership of the crisis", and said the people were suffering the most. "Above all, the most crucial role now lies with our MLAs. You have the people's mandate. You must act. The Meitei and Kuki MLAs must engage with each other, not wait for external intervention. You must lead - because if our elected representatives do not act, then who will?" the Meitei organisation said. More than 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups since May 2023. The Centre had on February 13 imposed the President's rule in Manipur after Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned. The state assembly, which has a tenure till 2027, has been put under suspended animation. The central executive committee of the organisation met on Wednesday and held an in-depth discussion on the current situation in Manipur. WMC strongly believes that a single but meaningful step in the right direction can begin the journey towards normalcy, the statement said. Urging the authorities to open the Imphal International Airport to all citizens, the council said the Meitei community "must take the moral and social responsibility to ensure safety for all who arrive, regardless of community." It also said that the "national highways must be made accessible to all" and every community - especially the Meiteis and the Kukis - must ensure safe passage, free from violence and intimidation. "The recent gesture by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity, in welcoming both Meitei and Kuki victims of the Ahmedabad air crash at Imphal Airport, is a positive and symbolic move in the right direction," it said. "We are destined to live together. Let time and collective effort show us the path to peace," it added. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Arambai Tenggol member arrested for murder amid Manipur crackdown
A Meitei group Arambai Tenggol member has been arrested for his alleged involvement in the murder of a 29-year-old man, which sparked fresh tensions in the ethnic violence-hit Manipur this month. Police said Longjam Khaba alias Boi, 35, is the main accused in the murder of Chesam Abdul Kadir, who had a 65% physical disability. The violence between Meiteis and Kukis in Manipur has since May 2023 left around 250 people dead and thousands displaced. (PTI/File) Kadir's body was found on Tuesday last, days after Arambai Tengol members allegedly abducted him. Police fired tear gas shells to disperse the protesters, who took to the streets demanding action against Kadir's killers. Nine people, including six Arambai Tengol members, were earlier arrested in the case. Police said the arrested accused admitted that Kadir died while they 'questioned him' over an alleged theft attempt and buried his body near a riverbank. The murder came to light amid a series of arrests of Arambai Tenggol members as part of an ongoing crackdown in Manipur. On June 12 and 13, two Arambai Tenggol members were arrested for their alleged involvement in a June 9 mob attack that left a police officer injured. The arrest of five Arambai Tenggol members, including Kanan Singh, this month over their involvement in the ethnic violence in the state, triggered the latest wave of unrest in Manipur. Hundreds of protesters resorted to arson and threw stones at security forces as the news of the arrest broke. The Arambai Tenggol demanded the immediate release of the five and announced a 10-day shutdown, which was called off four days later. Kanan Singh was dismissed from the police force this year over his alleged involvement in smuggling weapons and looting armouries. The authorities suspended broadband and mobile data services in Imphal East and West, Kakching, Thoubal, and Bishnupur, saying some 'anti-social elements might use social media' to incite the public in the aftermath of Kanan Singh's arrest. A curfew was reimposed in Bishnupur for the first time this year. The movement of people in the valley districts was restricted due to apprehension of a breach of peace. The protracted violence between Meiteis and Kukis in Manipur, triggered in May 2023, has left around 250 people dead and thousands displaced. Meiteis live largely in the plains of the Imphal valley, and the Kukis in the hills. They have withdrawn to their respective strongholds. The groups have since 2023 set up road blockades on highways to restrict each other's and the movement of essential items between their strongholds. Kuki leaders have blamed Arambai Tenggol for the violence. Combing and cordon-and-search operations were separately underway across the state as part of an ongoing crackdown on extortion and militant activity. On Sunday, security forces arrested four members of the proscribed People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (Progressive) in Imphal East district. Police said SLR rifles, 303 rifles, a light machine gun, a modified 303 sniper rifle, grenades, smoke devices, grenade launchers, detonators, and empty cartridges and magazines were subsequently recovered from Kalika in Imphal East. A member of the banned People's Liberation Army accused of extorting money from schools and private clinics was also arrested on Sunday.
The Hindu
21-06-2025
- The Hindu
COCOMI demands 'farmer safety zone' in Imphal Valley periphery areas
Meitei body COCOMI on Saturday (June 21, 2025) demanded a 'farmer safety zone' in the periphery areas of Imphal Valley, two days after a farmer was injured in a gun attack in Bishnupur district. The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) also demanded shoot-at-sight orders in the periphery areas of the valley to deal with any unauthorised armed intruder, especially those carrying assault rifles or deadly firearms. Also read | Manipur districts tense after day of violence Strongly condemning the gun attack, COCOMI, in a statement, said, "Ningthoujam Biren Singh was shot from point-blank range barely 30 meters away from the SSB security line. This act of terror occurred after an outrageous breach through three tiers of security — BSF, Army, and SSB — raising serious concerns about the intent, efficiency, and reliability of the current security deployment in the valley." "A COCOMI team held a meeting with the Bishnupur superintendent of police, followed by a strategic security dialogue at police headquarters with senior officers including ADGP L Kailun and IGP K Kabib," it said. COCOMI stands in full solidarity with local farmer groups and the victim's family and demands a declaration of a 'farmer safety zone' with shoot-at-sight orders, it said. "The entire agrarian belt along the foothills and canal zones must be officially designated as a 'farmer safety zone' and must be declared a 'no arms zone', and any unauthorised armed intruder, especially those carrying assault rifles or deadly weapons, must face immediate shoot-at-sight orders," COCOMI said. COCOMI also called for guarantee to "uninterrupted cultivation access" and to allow farmers to cultivate paddy fields of the Meiteis up to the foothill areas without fear or obstruction. It also demanded the deployment of two to three additional companies of security forces for regular mobile patrolling while maintaining all existing static posts to ensure round-the-clock surveillance of sensitive farming zones. The farmer was shot at on Thursday afternoon while he was working in the fields in Phubala in the valley district of Bishnupur after armed men allegedly opened fire from the surrounding hills, officials said. Farmers, who were working with him, claimed that the shots were fired from the nearby hills, they said. Located on the periphery of the Imphal Valley, the vast farmlands of Phubala are surrounded by the hills in the Churachandpur district on one side. Protesting the incident, locals called a shutdown in Phubala. The movement of security forces was blocked in some areas of the district, they said. Over 260 people have been killed after ethnic clashes broke out between the Meiteis, who live in the valley, and Kukis, who dominate the surrounding hills, in May 2023.
