Revisiting The Meiteis’ Demand For Abrogation of SOO Agreement: Are They In Their Right Mind?

(Courtesy: Thingkho le Malcha, Issue No.148, Date 08-02-2024, pp.8-9)

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Since the current ethnic cleansing pogrom began on May 3, 2023, the Meiteis keep changing their narratives as one changes clothes. Initially, the narrative pushed forward by Meitei intelligentsia was to portray the ethnic violence as a clash between the Hindus and Christians to drag the mainland Indians in their favour. To make it appear communal, hundreds of churches were either burnt, or destroyed, in Imphal, including those belonging to the Meiteis. Meitei flags were raised on the top of those churches as often seen in mainland India.

Later, as more academics like Prof. A. Bimol Akoijam joined the narrative war, the Hindu-Christian storyline was disbanded and was shifted towards illegal immigrants, poppy cultivators and forest encroachers. The once victimised Meitei Christians, such as Philem Rohan Singh, were drawn into the fold of the Meiteis to shift the goalpost. Though the efforts gained some momentum, it did not yield much fruits as too many acts of savagery on the Christians and their churches were already recorded and circulated worldwide. As recently as on January 28, 2024, the armed Meitei hooligans desecrated Khopibung Catholic Church, demolished Aigejang CBCA church using JCB, and used Govajang Church as bunker while attacking the Kuki-Zo in Khamenlok area. Anyway, Mr. Philem is now busy asking donations to buy thermal drones for Meitei Terrorists like the Arambai Tenggols and UNLF.

The attempt to debunk Hindu-Christian narrative and blame it on other issues was somehow not adequate. So, the narrative was changed into a fight against “Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists.” This was the dominant narrative in the sense that COCOMI, the apex body of the Meiteis, formally declared the “Manipuri National War” on June 7, 2023. The same was reciprocated by the Meitei chief minister N. Biren Singh on more than one occasion. This declaration was made after thousands of arms and lakhs of ammunitions including explosives were looted from the police armouries. Now, with thousands more sophisticated weapons in the hands of the Valley Based Insurgent Groups (VBIGs), the Meiteis probably thought that they could do whatever they wanted!

Another narrative, but relatively insignificant one, was that the current violence was a planned by the Kukis to push forward their long cherished dream of establishing an exclusive ethnic homeland. This is not only factually wrong but also illogical as the Kuki insurgent groups, KNO and UPF, had been negotiating for a Territorial Council till violence broke out on May 3, 2023, derailing the talks. And to assume that a minority community started a fight against the majority community is simply out of the box.

Again, the Meitei think-tanks also pushed the narrative that the current violence is the result of the state government’s attempt to drive out “illegal immigrants,” forest encroachers, and end poppy cultivation. This too did not hold much water as it is too cheap a propaganda invented by the Meitei think-tanks in their desperate attempt to cover up this state-sponsored terrorism. There are many more such narratives invoked, and later abandoned or continued, by, as a Meitei Professor once said, this “confused community.”

Among many such narratives, the demand for abrogation of Suspension of Operation (SOO) is one that stands out tall as it somehow remains popular within a section of the Meitei community, including the Arambai Tenggols and Meira Paibis. Interestingly, the attempt was already made even before the current violence broke out. Back in March 2023, the state government had backed out from the SOO agreement presumably as part of the plan to launch a campaign for annihilation of the Kuki-Zo. However, Biren’s attempt to terminate SOO agreement was unequivocally ignored by the Home Ministry who scolded him for this terrible decision.

Later, as the violence began, the Home Ministry made it clear that since the state government unilaterally withdrew from the tripartite talk, the political dialogue now became bipartite, i.e., between Kuki insurgent groups (KNO and UPF) and the Centre. So, the failure of Biren’s government to convince the Home Ministry to terminate SOO agreement before the ethnic cleansing campaign began, and the failure of the Meitei think-tanks to offer a narrative worthy of convincing world public opinion, made Kuki insurgent groups under SOO the main target.

This explains why the Meiteis are hell-bent on abrogating the SOO agreement by offering n-number of unfounded reasons. In doing so, the Meitei think-tanks behind the current ethnic cleansing pogrom not only wanted to cover-up the crime against humanity but also further vilify the whole community by blaming the Kuki-Zo armed groups. Unfortunately, neither people in the Home Ministry nor Defence are foolish enough to trust the Meiteis whose appellation is now synonymous with fake news and lies.

Now that the 15-day deadline given by Arambai Tenggol to all the 39 Meitei legislators (37 MLAs and 2 MPs) on January 24 ends, the Meitei think-tanks must be at their wits-end to prevent any untoward incident in their society. May I suggest that they can blame ZO United’s Delhi visit as an escape route as they always blame the “Kukis” for anything that happens under the sky?

Anyway, the Meitei community and its government have nothing to do with the bipartite political talk between the Kuki armed groups and Govt. of India as they have already unilaterally withdrawn from the SOO agreement. Even if SOO is to be abrogated, it should be purely in the court of the two entities who are parties to it.

Moreover, unlike the peace agreement signed with UNLF (Pambei faction) which intensified violence, the signing of SOO agreement with Kuki insurgent groups has drastically improved law and order in the Kuki-Zo dominated areas. And hence, the demand for its abrogation only exposes the intellectual bankruptcy of the Meitei community whose major national character, if it ever exists, is to silence any dissenting voice, or criticism.

As noted human rights activist, Mr. Babloo Loitongbam, once said, it is a widely accepted fact among scholars and intellectuals around the world that ethnic violence like the present one occurs only in a seriously regressive society. In other words, an ethnic cleansing pogrom, or genocide as in Hitler’s Germany, is invoked only when the state and its dominant community fail to perform their constitutional and moral obligations to sail the boat through tides. All these chain of events show that the ongoing state-sponsored ethnic cleansing campaign perpetrated by the majority community against the minority Kuki-Zo community is partly to hide their failure to carry the Manipuri society forward.

In the meantime, the abrogation of the SOO agreement will not, in any way, conceal the severity of the crimes committed by the majority community since the beginning of the current ethnic violence. Of course, it wouldn’t alter the course of the violence as separation between the two warring communities is already completed. The Union Government just needs to formally begin the steps for Separate Administration – be it in the form of a State or Union Territory with Legislature – as demanded by the Kuki-Zo community.

Last, but not the least, it is to be made crystal clear that the Meiteis have absolutely no reason to demand the abrogation of SOO, or interfere in the affairs of another community where they have no stake. The Meiteis’ attempt to divert the attention of the Centre and the general public from the humanitarian crisis they have created, or to push whatever narratives they have been manufacturing, can never be a reason to terminate the SOO agreement. Anyway, the Meiteis are probably not aware of what the general populace among the Kukis think about this [un]popular agreement. Maybe they wanted it to be abrogated more than anyone else!