Arambai Tenggol's Demand: A Questionable Pathway Marked by Atrocities and Ethnic Cleansing in Manipur

You do not change the course of history by turning the faces of portraits to the wall”- Jawaharlal Nehru. Only if the Meitei in general and Arambai Tenggol in particular knew, they will not have to commit the atrocities and crimes just so they can wipe away Kuki History in Manipur.

The de-facto ruler of Manipur, the Arambai Tenggol chief listed his demands to the Central Government. One could not help but ponder after scanning through the demands, why the ethnic cleansing? Why the violent path and atrocities against the Kuki-Zo community just for these demands? Why not a democratic and constitutional path, although most of its demands are meitei-centric, against India’s national interest and are baseless? Their demands are asymmetrical to their heinous acts.
Such makeover demands would never deceive any logical and rational being.

The demands of Arambai Tenggol are:

1. Strict implementation of NRC based on the 1951 census. To deport all defaulters to their respective states/countries.
2. Abrogate SoO Agreement with warring groups and take strict actions.
3. Transfer all Myanmar infiltrators who are kept at detention centres to Mizoram because Mizoram loves them dearly.
4. To start border fencing.
5. To replace Assam Rifles with other para-military forces because Assam Rifles remained mute spectators even as large-scale poppy cultivation was taking place within their jurisdiction.
6. To revoke the ST status of illegal Kuki immigrants.

Illegal immigrant issue, as far as Manipur is concerned, is not as dire and grave as those of Assam or J&K, rather is a new issue created taking advantage of the awareness of other Indians on the seriousness in those states by the majority community of Manipur just to oppress a particular community with no realistic threats. However, the Kuki-Zo community has no problem with the implementation, but if the demand for NRC is to winnow Indians from other states who resided in Manipur after 1951 NRC survey and Indians recognised under the acts of various amendments under the citizenship acts of 1951, then the demand for 1951 NRC as a base year violates the Fundamental right guaranteed under article 19(1)(e) which gives every citizen the rights to reside in any part of India. Since ILP in the Manipur regime started in December 2019 only, it does not fall under the Exceptions of Areas under Article 19(1)(e) until 2019.

India follows the principle of Jus soli until 1st July 1987, which means regardless of the nationality of one’s parents, he/she is an Indian citizen if one is born on Indian soil. From 2nd July 1987 to 2 December 2004, one is a citizen of India if either of his parents is an Indian at the time of his birth. Thus if NRC is implemented in tune with ILP of 2019 in Manipur, then it shall set another baseline altogether. If their demand for the implementation of NRC is to be granted, then our concern of its manipulation by the Meitei community who controls both the state government and all the important government departments that shall handle the process has to be taken seriously and a solution for fair and transparent process has to be designed as well.

Many Nations around the world considers India as a champion of Human Rights and Democracy, and India’s Foreign policies declared its unwavering support for democratic movement and the fight against any oppression. The fact remains that Some illegal immigrants are Refugees, the so called illegal immigrants from Myanmar are victims of a Military Government and its violation of Human Rights in Myanmar, what message does Arambai Tenggol want the Indian government to send out to the global community, that Arambai Tenggol’s demand are more important than India’s Foreign Policy commitment? Rather their stay in India can be a leverage to India in maintaining a close tie with Myanmar for when the country succeeded in its war for democracy.

Meitei community’s hatred for Assam Rifles goes back to history. Poppy cultivation is just another excuse to drive them away again like how they drive away from Kangla Fort in Imphal. They will create a mountain out of a molehill just to defame the Assam rifles, thus their inclusion in the list is a necessity for any Meitei organization’s demand.

It is considered a success for any government when it succeeds in convincing groups and organizations that sought unconstitutional and violent paths to fight for its demands to shift their path to a democratic non-violent path under the constitutional framework. Withdrawal of SoO Agreement with concerning groups will undermine the trustworthiness of the Central Government. With many insurgent groups operating in different states, India will send out the message that an attempt by the government to reach out so as they settle the demands in a democratic way under the constitutional mechanism is just an excuse to annihilate their organization and their cause. SoO is seen as a threat as it is an institution through which the Kuki-Zo initiated and continues its political dialogue to state its demands, thus the demand for abrogation of SoO agreement is an attempt on the part of the Meitei community to abrogate the demands of the Kuki-Zo and underscore the superiority mindset that only their Way shall work undermining the Kuki needs and concerns.

With Meitei terrorist groups and militant outfits operating outside the ambit of the SoO mechanism, the abrogation will not end insurgency or militancy in the state, it will only mean an increase in the number of groups outside the ambit of SoO. The sad truth is Unless all of them are annihilated none of it will be annihilated.

The Scheduled Tribe status of Kukis is given based on the parameters and criteria of the government of India, a particular community’s hatred against a community recognised as ST cannot be the criteria for its removal.

When the Meitei community is one amongst the most literate and developed societies of India, where even the poorer and weaker sections in their community are taken care of in the upliftment process along with other Socially and Economically Backward sections of India by including them in the reservation under the OBC and EWS sections respectively. They have the population in Manipur, thus the government and executive are under their control, for democracy is a game of numbers. Their control and power in all important government departments are incomparable to other communities of the state. Sited in the most fertile land of the state, they are both the rice and vegetable suppliers of the state, they have monopoly over secondary and tertiary sectors of the state. Still, their demands for ILP to protect their socio-cultural heritage and to solve the population concern is even fulfilled, although it has been always the Central Government’s goal to promote and achieve peaceful and harmonious co-existence. The question then is, what more do they want?

Yes India is a Democratic country and any section of the community has the right to demand their needs and wants, but they must not forget they live in a heterogeneous society where the cultural, traditional, social and economic concerns, needs and values of other communities has to be respected and considered as well. Why the ethnic cleansing when there are more peaceful and democratic ways or means to raise their demands and concerns. No amount of excuses and a bogus demand-list can justify and wipe away their heinous acts and evil intentions, the fact shall always remain, as it was, is and will always be a pogrom executed against the Kuki-Zo to achieve the goals unachievable under the constitutional mechanism. Thus it would not be wrong to conclude that the list of demands is simply an unfulfillable list intended to hide their real agenda.