The Meitei Christian Churches Council on Saturday said that the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur is not a case of a dominant community attacking the Christian minority, insisting that the conflict was instead between “Manipuris and illegal immigrants”.
The remarks came as Meitei Christian leaders held a demonstration in the Constitution Club of India in New Delhi, to “counter the argument being put before the world that the violence is being orchestrated against Christians in the State”.
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Rohan Philem, a Meitei Christian leader, said, “We, the Meitei Christians, have been attacked from both sides. On behalf of our community, we forgive both sides but ask for immediate intervention from the government to tackle the problem of illegal immigration, which is the root cause of the present conflict.”
He added that he had also been invited by Christian bodies in Kerala and Tamil Nadu to discuss the situation in Manipur. “They clearly believe that I am someone who can present both sides and that is why I have been asked to meet with them,” Mr. Philem said.
The demonstration, where Meitei leaders, and some Naga leaders from Manipur’s civil society organisations spoke at length, was meant to be a protest at Jantar Mantar. Organisers, which included the Meitei Heritage Society, said that the police, “for some reason” stopped the protest from taking place at Jantar Mantar after which it was moved to the CCI.
Addressing those gathered, Mr. Philem said, “Even though we have been caught in the middle of this conflict, we, the Meitei Christians, want to play the role of facilitating dialogue. We have already made it clear that this is the only way forward. But we have to see which is the community that is not willing to sit and talk.”
Mr. Philem, along with other Meitei leaders who spoke, presented what they claimed to be government data, indicating that problems of poppy cultivation and illegal immigration were allegedly focused in areas dominated by Kuki-Zomi people.
The demonstration also saw a 73-year-old Manipuri Sikh, Amrish Singh Pahwa, call for peace in the State he has called home all his life, saying that the administration must find a way to immediately disarm people.
However, other Meitei leaders like Mr. Philem and Professor Ramananda Singh, who teaches at the Delhi University, said there was also a need for “unity among Meitei people” of the State. Mr. Philem said, “I want to assure you that we might be of a different religion but we are still Meitei.”
Meanwhile, Ashang Kasar, the convener of the Forum for Restoration of Peace in Manipur, who is also from a Naga tribe, said that the conflict in Manipur was one between “indigenous people and non-indigenous people”. He added it was undisputed that the only indigenous communities in Manipur were the Nagas and the Meiteis.
“I am not naming communities. But we know that Nagas and Meiteis are the indigenous people of Manipur. Then we have the natives who have been here for about 150 years. In addition, we have the problem of immigrants coming from Myanmar,” Mr. Kasar said, adding, “If there is any threat to indigenous people from non-indigenous people, then we as the indigenous people have to stand together.” Mr. Kasar is also a member of the Indigenous People’s Forum in Manipur.
Mr. Kasar, on behalf of the Forum for Restoration of Peace in Manipur, said that, “We call for Kuki brothers and sisters to not resort to violence and make any demands they might have through democratic ways and through peace dialogue. On the other hand, we urge our Meitei brothers, as fellow indigenous people, to be open to starting the peace dialogue.”
All members at the demonstration, which was called ‘Save Manipur - A Peace Protest’, unanimously agreed that the “presence of Central forces” was not doing anything to help stop the violence, strongly condemned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the situation, and opposed any compromise over the territorial integrity of the State.
Manipur has been seeing an ethnic conflict between the dominant Meitei people and the State’s Kuki-Zomi people since May 3. The violence has so far led to over 142 deaths, injuries to hundreds more, and the internal displacement of tens of thousands of people.
While the immediate trigger for the violence was a Manipur High Court order directing the State to recommend ST status for the Meiteis, the conflict has, over the last two months, brought out historical differences the two communities.
