Now or Never: India must rein in on Meitei Militias and VBIGs, or Prepare to Face a Leviathan

On January 24, 2024, all the Meitei legislators, including Shri R.K. Ranjan Singh, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Education, and Leishemba Sanajaoba, MP Rajya Sabha and the titular king of Manipur, bowed to Mr. Korounganba Khuman, the chief of Arambai Tenggol, at Kangla by taking an oath of allegiance. On that fateful day, the 37 MLAs and two MPs, including Mr. N. Biren Singh who was the only one spared in the Oath-Taking ceremony presumably for being the chief minister and overall chief of the Arambai Tenggol, also put their signatures to promising to fulfil the six points raised by the militia group. Notably, the Arambai Tenggol is a newly formed Meitei militia group and has been responsible for most of the atrocities against the Kuki-Zo community in the ongoing ethnic violence. 

The oath-taking ceremony which was held at the Utra Shanglen, a sacred site in Kangla highly revered by the majority community, was strongly resented by all the major Kuki-Zo frontal organizations and the ten elected MLAs. Even the United Naga Council (UNC), the apex body of the Nagas of Manipur, clearly stated that the Government of Manipur no longer represents the whole state. In a press statement released on February 2, 2024, the apex Naga body said that the “Meitei legislators, in the face of the Kangla capitulation on January 24, 2024 cannot claim anymore to be the Government of the entire State of Manipur and has limited its powers, functions and relevance to the valley and the Meitei community only”. 

It may be noted that most of the arms and ammunition looted from the police armouries are in the hands of the Arambai Tenggol militia. They are also often seen travelling openly on armoured police vehicles, and even Casspir, meant for the security forces. Wielding sophisticated weapons in full combat fatigues, this militia roam freely around Imphal, chanting genocidal slogans such as “Kuki tumna hatkadabani” (All the Kukis must be wiped out), “Eegi laman, Eena singani” (The price of blood must be paid in blood), and what not. In many instances, they are seen alongside the cadres of the banned VBIGs such as the UNLF while attacking Kuki-Zo villages. 

Various Meitei social media handles including members and sympathisers of Arambai Tenggol and their leaders such as Korounganba Khuman and Robin Mangang Khwairakpam regularly posted hate messages on Facebook in a bid to demonise the Kukis. They also actively carried out hate campaigns against the Christians and Muslims without any concern for the law. In many cases, anybody who speaks against the Chief Minister and Arambai Tenggol are kidnapped, beaten, and forced to apologize. Videos of the atrocities carried out by these hooligans are often circulated on social media platforms presumably to scare away others from doing the same. Popular singer Akhu @Ronid Chingangbam, social activist and former police officer Thounaojam Brinda, human rights activist Babloo Loitongbam, and even Union Minister of State Shri RK Ranjan Singh were victims of such goondaism. 

Many innocent civilians, particularly those belonging to the minority Muslims [Meitei Pangals], were also victimized on several occasions. Some of these individuals were either ostracized from their locality, their house torched and vehicles burnt, for allegedly helping the Kukis. In many other instances, the Nagas and minority KomRem people also came under constant threats and physical abuse. Some of them, including Mrs. Lucy Maring, an elderly Naga Schizophrenia patient and Sepoy Serto Thangthang Kom of the Army’s Defence Security Corps (DSC) platoon, were mercilessly killed. Not to forget that Imphal had long been a valley of death for the Kuki-Zo since the beginning of the first incident of violence on May 3, 2023. In fact, all their properties in the Meitei dominated valley are either destroyed or looted. Even documents, traditional shawls, vehicle plates and smart cards in the Transport Office in Imphal belonging to them are not spared. Many buildings such as schools, churches, offices, and residential houses are now used by this militia. 

Despite enough evidences indicating the complete collapse of the state machinery, and the abject surrender of all the 39 Meitei Legislators to the Arambai Tenggol, the Government of India chose to turn a blind eye, apparently to reap a political mileage from the majority community. The scourge of central forces, including the Army airlifted to Manipur to deal with the situation, are largely ineffective since they are often denied orders by their superiors who are mostly from the state police department. The Meira Paibis too repeatedly blocked the movement of Central Security Forces hindering them from performing their duties efficiently. In one such incident, these womenfolk were even seen questioning the loyalty of the Army Personnel by demanding documents to determine their ethnicity. 

Again on June 24, 2023, the Indian Army was able to cordon off 12 militants, including one self-styled Lt. Col. Moirangthem Tamba alias Uttam, a wanted terrorist who was the mastermind of the ambush of 6 Dogra Unit in 2015, where 20 brave Indian soldiers were brutally murdered and 11 injured. However, more than a thousand strong mobs led by the Meira Paibis and the local MLA, Shri Th. Shyamkumar Singh of Andro AC, forced the Security Forces to release the terrorists. The Army sources said that the group had infiltrated from Myanmar, and that additional reinforcements were prevented from reaching there by the Meitei vigilante groups, including Meira Paibis, which had further delicate the situation. 

Despite all these developments, the Central Government still refrains from taking drastic measures. Even the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) 1958, the minimum requirement for the Army to take control of law and order, is yet to be implemented. As such, the thousands of Central Forces personnel, including the Indian Army, who are deployed in the state remain largely toothless as their roles are limited to assisting the state police in maintaining law and order. Interestingly, the “Disturbed Area Status” was extended in the hill areas though it is relatively peaceful, but the more volatile valley areas remained exempted. 

Now, the question arises whether the Central Government is also planning to submit itself to the Arambai Tenggol as their counterpart in Manipur did on January 24. Being the most populous country having one of the largest military strength in the world, the Government of India must reconsider its strategy and rein in on this Meitei militia and their ideologues, at least by now. A rising world power not in a position to handle an ethnic cleansing campaign in a tiny state like Manipur in nine months must be a thing to be ashamed of for the political leadership. 

If India is to remain a democratic country where human lives matter most, it is time for the Central Government to take strong actions against all these anti-social elements who are adamant on taking the law in their hands. Declaring the valley, particularly the jurisdictions of the 19-police stations as “Disturbed Areas” and reimposing AFSPA is the minimum the Central Government must consider for the Indian Army to act in order to restore normalcy in the state. Allowing the Army to take control of the situation will not only help in maintaining law and order but also in protecting the lives and properties of so many people who may be victims in the days to come. Taking stock of the situation completely will also remind those anti-social elements about the existence of India as a powerful nation which has been missing in Manipur for months. 

However, if India remains unwilling to take control of the situation, it must clarify its intention, or prepare to face the Leviathan it has been building. If the death of over 161 people, destructions of over 200 villages (or 7000 houses), burning of 360 churches, and the forced displacement of 41,425 persons from the Kuki-Zo community alone, and the rising crime rates and increasing unlawful activities of arm militia and VBIGs in Imphal do not ring the alarm bell at the corridors of power in New Delhi, it will be taken as akin to a surrender as Biren’s government did. Therefore, the Government of India must allow the Indian Army to rein in, not only to maintain law and order, but also to prevent further annihilation of the minority Kuki-Zo. For this, the AFSPA must be reimposed in all the valley areas and the Central Forces including the Indian Army must be entrusted with the power to take control. Opting for neutrality at this juncture will only intensify the ethnic unrest to a point where reconciliation may become impossible.

(Thingkho le Malcha, Issue no.151, February 11, 2024)