Biren's Statement on Growth of New Villages Exposed His Knee-Deep Knowledge about Tribal Culture

The recent statement by communal chief minister of Manipur N. Biren Singh about the unnatural growth of new villages in Manipur exposed his shallow knowledge of tribal culture and their village administration system.

Crime Minister N Biren Singh issued a warning on April 29, highlighting the alarming proliferation of 996 new villages attributed to illegal immigration. In a post on the microblogging site X, Singh highlighted the severe threat posed by this phenomenon to both indigenous communities and national security.

Singh’s post allegedly addressed a pressing issue that has been plaguing Manipur, and indeed the nation at large, for years. “Since 2006, there has been a surge in the establishment of new villages across Manipur, largely fueled by an unchecked influx of illegal immigrants from the neighboring Myanmar. This influx has not only altered the demographic landscape but has also resulted in the rampant destruction of forest cover, primarily to make way for settlements and illicit activities such as poppy plantations. Furthermore, the encroachment by these illegal immigrants on resources, job opportunities, land, and the rights of indigenous populations has exacerbated tensions within the region”, Biren alleged.

However, the statement of the chief minister only explained his shallow knowledge about the village holding system of the Kuki tribal group. Even as climbing to the top of Manipur administration, he has very little knowledge on the land and its people. Though new numbers of villages have been set up in Kuki areas, the demographic growth remains unchanged. The rise in new villages can be attributed to many factors such as Urbanization, Chieftainship System, and Better prospect for development in the Educational field and other progressive issues.

With the increase in importance of education; many people from rural areas flocked to hill-towns such as Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and Saikul etc., from far flung remote hill areas of the districts. This has also led to developing urbanization which further led to the establishment of new villages in and around a particular town settlement. Education is the main factor for migration of people from villages to town areas. People flocked to town areas to avail better educational facilities.

According to the Kuki customary law, the Chief of a certain village has the authority or rights to set up new villages for his siblings in the jurisdiction of the Chiefs’ ancestral homeland. This has led to the mushrooming of new villages in Kuki areas, purely due to the growth of urbanisation. This has nothing to do with illegal immigration. The Kuki tradition and customary laws permit the establishment of new villages in accordance with the norms practiced by the tribal group since time immemorial. The new villages were set up with the permission granted by the chiefs who are the sole guardians of the clans and family lineages.

There might be a growth of new villages in town areas, but the Kuki population however remains the same. As per the official census data of 2011, the Kuki population did not reveal an abnormal growth; but rather, the growth rate of other communities seemed to be higher than that of the Kuki population. Even in the latest official data of electoral rolls in Manipur, the Kuki population followed a normal growth as compared to the Meiteis or Naga communities as a whole.

The Meiteis persistent allegation of abnormal growth in the Kuki population is nothing but a totally false narrative created out of jealousy and hatred towards the Kuki people. There are no documents to prove the allegation. In fact, the population of Kukis has been declining since the British period.

It is to be noted that the establishment of new villages in Kuki areas aim to facilitate balanced development, improve access to essential services, promote economic opportunities, enhance security, and address the needs of diverse populations within the region.

In the wake of the state-sponsored ethnic cleansing pogrom against the Kukis, the fascist chief minister N. Biren Singh has nothing to place on the table but to constantly change his narratives to suit his desired result so as to escape his responsibility in the devastating violence that has been plaguing the state for the past one year.