Meiteis Plan to Observe May 3 as '365 Days of Narco-Terrorist Aggression in Manipur' to Cover Up Their Ongoing Aggression Over Kukis

In their bid to conquer and dominate the narratives of the present crisis in the State and to cover up their ongoing aggression over the Kukis, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity(COCOMI) have declared to hold deliberations on May 3 with the slogan ‘365 days of chin Kuki Narco Terrorist Aggression in Manipur’.

Federation of Civil Society Organisations (FOCS) had also declared to observe May 3 as “black day” from 2024 onwards to remember the attack launched by the ‘Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zou groups’.

Such declarations by the meitei apex bodies do not come as a surprise since they have been changing the narratives in their desperate attempt to portray the Kukis as the aggressor in the present conflict.

As per the Meiteis’ narrative, the initial part of the conflict was ‘between the Kuki and the Meiteis’. Gradually they shifted the narrative to ‘the conflict was between the illegal immigrants and the Meiteis or indigenous people of manipur’. However, the present and latest claim by the meiteis is that the ‘present crisis is a battle between the indigenous people and the chin-kuki narco-terrorist group’.

TLM had repeatedly mentioned that the crisis in Manipur began on May 3 after some members of the Arambai Tenggol tried to burnt the Anglo-Kuki War centenary gate in Churachandpur district, the same day when the All Tribal Students Association, Manipur, held a peaceful rally in all hill districts of Manipur against the inclusion of the Meiteis in the schedule tribe list.

The rally went peacefully in all districts. However, the situation in Churachandpur district turned ugly after Arambai Tenngol members burnt the Anglo-Kuki War centenary gate in Churachandpur.

The Arambai Tenggol’s attack of the Anglo-Kuki war centenary gate in Churachandpur, a Kuki dominated district speak volumes about the present crisis. The rally was conducted in all the hill districts, even in Naga dominated districts, but the Meiteis chose to enter and start a conflict in Churachandpur district alone.

As narrated by witnesses , the members of AT who came to burn the gate on May 3 were in thousands. Arambai Tenggol was very little heard of or not known by many before may 3.

How did the AT which was very little heard of or not known by many, even by the Meiteis, gathered around a thousand members to drive till Churachandpur and burn the Anglo-Kuki war centenary gate? It clearly showed that the attack was a pre planned move by the Arambai Tenggol and its patrons; Biren Singh and Leishemba Sanajaoba, and that the Arambai Tenggol was instituted much ahead of May 3.

Moreover, the casualties suffered by the Kukis on May 3 and the following days in different Meitei dominated areas indicate that the Kukis were innocent and had no idea about what their near future had in store for them.

Had the Kukis preplanned the violence, they would have vacated and abandoned the valley districts before may 3 and the number of casualties would be much different from the present figure.

If the crisis had risen solely because of the tribals’ opposition to Meitei ST demand, the Arambai Tenggol could have also attacked other non Kuki inhabited tribal districts and few tribal areas in the valley. But the attack was selectively targetted to the Kukis.

The Zo-United on April 25 had issued an advisory to all Kuki bodies to observe May 3 under the common banner ‘one year of State sponsored ethnic cleansing against Kuki Zo’. Following the advisory issued by Zo-United, the COCOMI on April 27 made a declaration to hold deliberations on May 3 with the slogan ‘365 days of Chin-Kuki Narco-Terrorist Aggression in Manipur’.