After Kuki tribal bodies’ call for ‘shutdown’ over evictions, Manipur district sees sporadic violence

Churachandpur district is currently under Section 144, but clashes between locals & security forces have been reported in areas like Tuibong, Sielmat and New Lamka Friday.

A building on fire in Manipur's Churachandpur on 28 April | Photo: ANI

Guwahati/Imphal: Sporadic incidents of violence were reported from various parts of Manipur’s Churachandpur district Friday following a call for ‘shutdown’ by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) — a conglomerate of recognised tribes in the district. The eight-hour long shutdown call ended at 4 pm Friday with no major incidents reported during the period. However, towards evening, clashes were reported between locals and security forces in areas like Tuibong, Sielmat and New Lamka.

Tension prevails even as the district is currently under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which prohibits the assembly of five or more people, and internet services remain suspended.

The police reportedly resorted to firing tear gas shells and locals pelted stones at security personnel deployed in their areas. According to the general public, two persons were critically hit by a patrol vehicle while they were trying to block the road in Churachandpur town.

Over the past two months, tensions have been on the rise in Manipur between the N. Biren Singh-led state government and Kuki tribal groups, leading to widespread protests and acts of violence in the hill districts.

Leaders of the ethnic Kuki community have alleged that the state government is targeting legitimate residents by carrying out evictions in villages which, the government claims, have sprung up on encroached reserved forest land.

The call for shut down by the ITLF was part of its strategy of “non-cooperation with all government-related programmes”. The Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO) and the Hmar Students Association (HSA) in Churachandpur had shown their support for ITLF’s call.

The ITLF had made the announcement for the shutdown moments after unidentified locals set ablaze the newly constructed open gym at the PT Sports Complex in New Lamka, Churachandpur, Thursday evening. The open gym, now partially charred, was supposed to be inaugurated by CM Singh Friday. In addition to this, miscreants also vandalised Sabdhavna Mandap, the venue for the inauguration event.

Following the reports of arson at around 8.30 pm Thursday, the Additional District Magistrate, Churachandpur, imposed Section 144 in the district.

Speaking to ThePrint, Dr Seilen Haokip, spokesperson of the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), a conglomeration of various armed Kuki groups, said that Thursday’s incident was “a culmination of perceived persecution and injustice towards the people by a government”.

“Whether these are procedural lapses that have caused it, or government policies followed in the best interest of the state is something left to be analysed,” he said.

The ITFL, in a press statement Thursday, alleged that the state government has remained indifferent to addressing the grievances and apprehensions of the people despite the forum submitting two memoranda to the CM’s office.

ThePrint reached superintendent of police (SP), Churachandpur, via phone calls, and deputy commissioner of the district via calls and messages, but got no response. This report will be updated once a response is received.

The eviction drive

The events of the past two days reflect the long-standing ethnic strains between the non-tribal Meitei population in the valley areas and the Kuki tribal communities living in the hills.

Geographically, Manipur is divided into the hill and valley areas. The districts of Kangpokpi, Churachandpur, Tamenglong, Chandel, Ukhrul and Senapati are notified as “hill districts” in Manipur. The hill areas are inhabited by groups of Naga and various Kuki-Chin-Mizo or Zo ethnic tribes. The Kuki population in Manipur is about 30 per cent of the 28.5 lakh population, according to the 2011 Census.

On 20 February, the state government, with the help of police forces, had evicted residents of a K.Songjang, a Kuki village in the Kangvai sub-division of Churachandpur, after serving two notifications to the village chief — first on 10 August, 2022, and another on 30 January this year.

Kuki organisations, including the ITLF, had termed it a “forceful eviction” while the government has claimed that the village, which is located along the border of Churachandpur and Noney districts, was standing on encroached land of Churachandpur-Khoupum protected forest.

The eviction drive was carried out by the Noney Forest Division and state police teams of Noney, Kangpokpi and Bishnupur districts.

On 10 August last year, a show cause notice was also served to Kungpinaosen village and adjoining areas in the same district, directing the villagers to vacate for the same reason — encroachment.

In March this year, the ITLF called for a peaceful rally in the hill districts to be held on 10 March. The KSO and Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), the apex body of the Kukis in the state, have lent support to the movement.

However, the rally in Kangpokpi turned violent with the police using tear gas shells and protestors resorting to stone pelting. Some were also allegedly beaten up by the police, said media reports.

Following this incident, the forest department issued a clarification to a section of media, stating that K.Songjang is “a new village established only in the year 2021 by encroaching inside the Churachandpur-Khoupum Protected Forest in violation of Forest Acts, Rules, Supreme Court Order and State Government’s Standing Order.”

In the two memoranda submitted to the CM and the Governor on 10 March, the ITLF alleged that there is “no such Protected Forest as claimed by the Forest Department”.

Both memoranda state that tribals living in the hill tracts of Manipur since the pre-independence period are being called “foreigners or Myanmarese” in their own land, which the forum termed “discriminatory, derogatory and unforgivable”.

“Such labelling…is also unconstitutional as these tribes had been recognised and included in the Scheduled Tribes list in the Constitution of India,” it said.

The ITLF further alleged that the eviction was not done in conformity with the provisions of Article 371C of the Indian Constitution, which deals with the “Special provision with respect to the State of Manipur”, and adhering to the rights, custom and usages of the Hill Tribal population.

It requested the state government to provide “immediate and adequate compensation to the villagers of K.Songjang and to rehabilitate the displaced villagers”.

(This report has been updated to reflect the latest developments)

(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)