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An encounter also took place between Kuki terrorists and security forces in which a soldier was injured. Maitreya terrorists bombed farmers. Then fired on BSF for 40 minutes. On Saturday, a woman working in a paddy field in Bishnupur district of Manipur died in firing by terrorists. This incident happened in Santan area.
The terrorists started firing from the hill, causing grief and anger among the villagers. Local people accused the Central Force personnel of not taking action to stop such attacks. Two days before this, on Thursday, in an attack in Jaron Hamar village of Jiribam district, unknown people locked a 31-year-old woman in a room, raped and shot her. Her husband lodged an FIR in the police station.
The attackers set fire to six houses. More than 250 people have been killed in this caste violence that has been going on since May last year in one and a half years. The Matei community had taken out ‘Tribal Unity March’ demanding that they be given Scheduled Tribe status, which was opposed by the Kuki community. Ethnic violence broke out between the Matei and Kuki communities.
Most of the houses in Manipur have weapons. The police have not yet been able to recover the 4000 looted weapons. There is silence in the markets of Manipur. There are neither doctors nor medicines in hospitals. Schools, colleges and offices are deserted. College students are protesting. Education is at a standstill. Bombing is done by drones.
Rockets were fired from Kuki Hills. Extortion has increased. The Chief Minister could not even dare to go to the Kuki area because he belongs to the Matei community. Matei consists of Imphal East, West, Thobal, Kangchik and Bishnupur districts.
Matei constitute 53 percent of the population, Naga and Kuki constitute 40 percent. Speaker of the state assembly Thokcho Satya Barat Singh, MLAs Thogam Basant Kumar Singh and Tongtharamarabindro, ministers Letpaohaokim and Nemcharipgen from the Kuki community, MLAs Ram Muivah, Arangthe Newmai and L Takshan from the Naga community. On 20th of last month, a private school in Jiribam district was set on fire. In view of the protest by the students of Manipur, curfew was also imposed in two districts of Imphal, East and West. On Thursday, unknown assailants set fire to a primary health center in Jiribam district.
A 46-year-old woman was killed in fighting between two armed groups in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district. All postgraduate and undergraduate examinations of Manipur University were postponed till further orders. The ethnic conflict in Manipur has now taken the form of civil war. There have been attacks by drones and rocket launchers in Manipur for the last several days.
Matei and Kuki extremists are using sophisticated weapons and latest technological equipment. A drone interception system has been deployed and security has been increased. Five people died during violence in Jiribam district of Manipur. On the other hand, after one person was killed and six were injured in a rocket attack by terrorists in Bishnupur, security forces destroyed three bunkers of terrorists in Sualsang and Laika Mualsau villages of Churachandpur district. On 10th of last month, there was a firing between Kuki extremists and rural volunteers in Tenglopal district, in which 3 people were killed.
Manipur DGP Rajiv Singh said that the state police cannot deal with the situation alone. There is a constant need for help from central forces. After visiting Kotruk and Kaderband areas, the DGP said that we have talked to NSG. A committee has been formed to investigate drone attacks.
Apart from Assam Rifles, 198 companies of central forces have been deployed to handle the situation. Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Raj Kumar Ime Singh said that about 50,000 soldiers have been deployed in Manipur. If peace still cannot be achieved then call back the entire army. Caste violence is not stopping in Manipur. There is not a single indication from the ruling central and state governments that they are serious about caste violence in Manipur.
Even today there is a bloody conflict between the Kuki and Matei communities. The terrorists of these groups have started targeting and committing violence. They first mark (identify) the houses of people of other community and then attack. The question is, why is it so difficult to keep an eye on the activities of terrorists operating in Manipur and how are they using sophisticated technology and weapons? Bishnupur district has seen the most ethnic violence and growing conflict between the Kuki and Matei communities.
Manipur’s caste violence (conflict) flourished due to government failure. If the state government had made an honest effort to remove the misunderstanding between both the Kuki and Matei communities in the beginning, the fire of caste hatred would not have flared up like this. But the government neither gave priority to talks nor took adequate and strict steps to control the terrorists.
After the violence that started last year, weapons were looted from many police stations and armories, which continued to be used in violence. There have been incidents of women being stripped, raped and murdered in the presence of the police. Sixty thousand people are forced to leave their homes and live in relief camps.
Thousands of houses and religious places were razed and burnt. There is anger across the country and the world over the caste violence in Manipur. Taking cognizance, the Supreme Court itself constituted a committee to investigate the incidents there and monitor the police action, but due to lack of cooperation from the state government, it did not yield positive results.