Biren's War Against Education on Kuki-ZO Community vis-a-vis Torching of Schools in Moreh

In a land that proudly declared itself as The Mother of Democracy, the Manipur state police force makes a joke on Democracy and the rule of law, committing the crime of terrorizing innocent civilians and arsoning schools and citizens’ houses. As a result, mothers have been crying for democracy and praying for their family’s safety since their forceful re-deployment in Moreh town again.

Meitei CM Biren is now waging a War against education, not drugs in Moreh and Kuki-zo dominated areas. The academic successes of Kukis have been always an eyesore for Meiteis. The cancellation of the CBSE affiliation for Kuki-Zo-administered schools with a complaint from the Manipur government themselves stating the NOC was a fraud, is another excuse. They want to destroy our students’ future and finally our community as a whole by monopolising our education. The university results of Rayburn College will give you insights, Some students are awarded zero marks even on subjects with practicals when the college faculty had awarded them marks in practicals themselves. Even exam papers are not spared from racial discrimination and oppression of the Meiteis, as long it serves their goal to destroy and annihilate the Kukis.
The war against education is being executed today in Moreh. Among the burnt infrastructures as a result of arson by the state police force today at Moreh town, 3 educational institutions were included viz. Mt. Moreh Public School, Bethsaida School and Dr. Colvin School. This criminal activity perpetrated by the state police concurs with the victim’s account of the state forces’ involvement in the attacks on their villages first and then the arson of their houses and churches. With no one else left to blame as their scapegoat, will short-circuit be their last resort this time too to save the ass of Meitei’s darling state police force and their hidden agenda to use education as one of the means to oppress the Kuki-Zos?

Attacks on buildings dedicated to education are not just attacks on the building, but attacks on the Right to Education, as these attacks can lead children to drop out of the education system, reduce school enrollment, lower rates of transition to higher education and poorer outcomes. Many children’s basic human right to have normal socialization and childhood is destroyed along the building. As a Tibetan proverb says, “a child without education is like a bird without wings”, destroying educational institutions is destroying their growth and progress, dreams and aspirations, to become productive members of society and to change their life if not the world. Unless one hated the Jewish like Hitler did, no one would dare commit atrocities and crimes of this intensity.

Acknowledging the importance of educational institutions and facilities, they are protected under
International humanitarian law and International Human rights law, as civilian objects and right to education respectively even in times of war. Attacks on educational buildings that are not military objectives are on the list of war crimes of the Rome statute of the International Court during both international and internal armed conflicts. Arson is a criminal act under Indian criminal law as well. Thus it is clear the Manipur State police aren’t criminals only under Indian law but are war criminals too.

First, they tortured, killed, raped, abused and drove us from their land. To mentally torture us, they resort to burning our churches on their land, which symbolizes faith, belief and hope. Burning down our hope ain’t enough to quench their thirst for torturing us, Now they come to our land not only to kill, attack, rule and torture but to destroy our future as well by burning the Temple of Learning and knowledge, our schools. As rightly said by Diane Ravitch, “An attack on public education is an attack on Democracy”, none of the Kuki-Zo community feels like being democratically governed today, rather we all feel there is a reign of terror.

When an agency that should prevent crimes is the one committing them; that the one who should maintain law and order is the one that is breaking them; the one that should provide human rights is the one violating it; that the one that should be investigating all the above crimes is the one who commits all, where do innocent citizens go to file the case and report the crime? Who will hold them accountable?

The Kuki-Zo’s opposition to the deployment of the state police forces isn’t coming out of thin air but from a brutal first-hand experience of their involvement in the conflict as our oppressor. What lies the Biren government fed the central government is not known, but today with no scapegoat to blame, they have exposed themselves naked of their crimes. The question is will the central government concur with the state government for the state police forces deployment in Kuki-Zo dominated areas? Will they still let them have free reign on our education and destroy the future of our children, especially of the poor and vulnerable from our community the chance to uplift their economic burden? Giving them a free hand over our education is similar to pushing us back 50 years back again to the past.