After Declaring War Against Kuki Community Last Year, COCOMI Now Shifts the Blames to State Government

Reacting strongly against the high-level meeting chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah on June 17, COCOMI spokesperson Khuraijam Athouba has stated that the Home Minister is trying to evade the core issues causing the Manipur crisis.

He added that Amit Shah’s decision to address the issue through talks between the Kuki and Meitei communities is contextually incorrect.

According to Athouba, the real issue lies between Chin Kuki narco-terrorist armed groups and the Manipur government, in concurrence with the Government of India.

Earlier on June 17, Amit Shah announced on Monday (June 17) that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will initiate discussions with both the Meitei and Kuki communities to address the ongoing ethnic tensions in Manipur. This move aims to bridge the divide and restore harmony in the restive region, he said.

During a review of the security situation in Manipur, Shah emphasized the need for strategic deployment of central forces to maintain peace and order. He assured that the number of central forces in the state would be increased if necessary.

According to an official statement, Shah directed authorities to take strict legal action against those responsible for the violence, underscoring the government’s commitment to restoring tranquillity in the northeastern state.

However, to the dismay of many, the COCOMI’s spokesperson is now trying to downplay the grievous situation by looking for an escape route. If according to the COCOMI spokesperson, the conflict is not between the Kuki and Meitei community, the question arising here is why the Meiteis set-up volunteers and loots a cache of weapons and ammos from state armories. All these looted weapons have been used in waging war against the Kukis.

Mr. Athouba should be reminded of the ‘People’s Convention’ organized by the COCOMI June last year where they declared Manipuri National War against the Kuki community. The Convention which was held at Iboyaima Sumang Leela Shanglen, Palace compound, Imphal, also resolved that indigenous people of Manipur should unitedly join hands to defeat the war against the Kuki community. One year after declaring war against the Kuki community, the COCOMI spokesperson is making illogical statement to which contradict him. The statement is also a justification of the general perception that the ongoing violence is a state engineered ethnic cleansing against the Kuki community. The words of COCOMI is also an indication that the Meiteis don’t want peace and that they don’t want to live in harmony with other community, which is why the Kukis demand for separation from the Meiteis a justifiable case.

If Athouba’s words are to be taken in a serious manner, the general public has to ponder many baffling questions – why do the Meiteis retaliate by imposing counter blockade on the eve of ATSUM’s Solidarity Rally. The Rally was aimed at raising grievances against the state government, and not to the Meitei community. Why do the Meiteis have to burned down all Kuki localities in Imphal valley, if the violence was not between the Kukis and Meiteis, why do the Meiteis resorted gruesome torture, murder and molestation of Kuki civilians during the initial stage of violence. If at all the conflicting violence was not between the Kukis and the Meiteis – it is foolish on the part of Meiteis to raise an armed radical groups, which itself is troublesome for some section of the Meiteis.

Athouba’s statement also proved the involvement of state machineries in waging war against the Kuki community. The accusation of Kukis that the ongoing violence is a state sponsored ethnic cleansing against the Kukis has been once again justified. How can a state government waged war against its own citizens. The state government closed link with the Meitei armed radical group – the Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Leepun, who are responsible in carrying out attack against the Kukis, is an undeniable fact, known by all.

If a state government is waging war against its own citizens, it is prudent on the part of oppressed community to demand separation from such oppressive government.