Echoes of Persecution, False Narratives, and the Return of Martyrs

In August, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the Supreme Court that a significant number of unclaimed bodies in Manipur’s morgues were purportedly those of infiltrators. Mehta, representing the Meitei government in cases related to Manipur violence, did not hesitate to label the Kuki-Zo as illegal immigrants, echoing the stance of Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

The Kuki-Zo community faced brutal persecution in the streets of Imphal, with their bodies accumulating in morgues. Families endured a harrowing seven-month wait for their loved ones to return home. Mehta’s words undoubtedly inflicted deep wounds on these grieving families.

The narrative of Kuki-Zo as illegal immigrants gained traction among the Meiteis and the government. Other accusations against the Kuki-Zo such as poppy cultivators, narco-terrorists, etc.  lacked substantial evidence, and attempts to single them out implicated other communities, including the Meiteis. While some Meiteis rejected this propaganda of Kuki-Zo as illegal immigrants, figures like the outspoken but inactive Mr. All Blow, failed politician Maheshwar, Biren’s Private Militia commander Korounganba, the spokesperson Athouba whose mic was switched off for speaking all lies, and the disruptive spoilt child at the COP 23 event in UAE pursued their own agendas. Meanwhile, the central figures in the crisis, Biren Singh and the crownless king Sanajaoba, aimed to use Meitei terrorists to drive out the Kuki-Zo from their own hills. Lying in their own ways, these figures joined forces in brainwashing the majority Meiteis, mostly from the foot-hills to fight for their own selfish agendas.

Manipur has witnessed significant upheaval, resulting in irreparable damage to the relationship between the Meiteis and the Kuki-Zo. While physical structures can be rebuilt, boundaries redrawn, and governance reconfigured, the loss of lives is irreplaceable. The memories of brutalities suffered, including butchering and rape, will forever haunt the Kuki-Zo. The lies and brutality of the Meiteis will be etched in the collective memory of the Kuki-Zo.

The return of the martyrs to their ancestral land exposes the falsehoods propagated by the Meiteis. If there is any humanity left in him, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta should feel a sense of shame for playing with the souls of the dead. Those who fed him misinformation must be grappling with guilt as the martyrs return home. Descending from the skies, these fallen heroes land in their homeland, inspiring renewed spirit among their brethren not to mourn but to fight. The separation in Manipur is now complete, with the martyrs being the last to depart from the troubled region.