The Story of Two Manipur Police Officer: Discrimination/Fvaouritism in Ex-Gratia Benefits

They said In India, everyone is equal before the law, they said that our country is the mother of Democracy, and they also said the state shall protect and give equal treatment to all its citizens regardless of their race, sex, caste, religion or place of birth. They also said the Constitution is the supreme law of the land. But what happens in Manipur is contradictory to what we are taught in colleges about the laws and norms of India. Why the contradiction? Are we taught wrong or is Manipur wrong?

Two policemen belonging to different ethnicities were martyred while on duty in the aftermath of the 3rd May violence. The sharp contrast in their ex-gratia is rather terrifying, for it sends the signal that there is no longer equality for all Indians in Manipur before the Meitei government. They have discarded the neutral and non- partisan stance they had to necessarily possess while exercising their official duties as prescribed by the law of the land, Rather, ‘Meitei First’ and ‘favour the Meitei more’ are the norms that govern the government’s decision-making. Does their functioning align with “the idea of India” our constitution makers had envisaged?

While for Moreh SDPO Chingtham Anandakumar, the state Cabinet has approved the appointment of his son, Chingtham Andry, to the post of an Assistant Sub-Inspector and liberalized pension from the Home Department of the deceased in addition to Rs 50 lakhs ex-gratia to his family. On the other hand, the next kin of the deceased SI Onkhomang shall be

given only Rs. 10 lakhs as an ex-gratia. The blatant discrimination of minorities in the state of Manipur is simply undemocratic and very unindian thing if we go by the constitution. Why the British era norms of differential ex-gratia? Favoring the Meitei like they had once favoured the whites and discriminating towards the Kukis like they discriminated Indians even on their deaths? Is Manipur having a nostalgia of pre-independence Manipur and distaste towards equality of all in post-independent India? These questions need an answer if India is truly a democratic country where every citizen is equal in the eyes of the law.

Being a Kuki is made a crime and tragedy by the government of Manipur. Not only are they unapologetic to catastrophic tragedy they have incurred to the Kukis, but they continue to play the key role in these genocide ethnic pogroms against the Kukis. Fearing people won’t notice their active participation, they openly leave evidence of their sponsorship of the pogrom, the most glaring example of which can be their surrender to the militia group Arambai Tenggol. State employees are given the free hand to blatantly oppress the Kukis with no accountability; anarchy reigns in the valley but they attempt to control over Kuki dominated areas like Moreh by giving freehand to state forces where even arson of private properties and education institutions is permissible. Are we sorry for being Kuki? No, for we believe in India and the idea of India, thus it’s our belief that we shall be freed from this darkness like India herself is freed from the British.

The stepmotherly treatment by the government of Manipur in Kuki-dominated areas and against the Kuki is a well-established fact by now. Territories under the Kuki-dominated area are isolated from all development funds and schemes of both the central and state governments. Any injustice inflicted upon the Meiteis will be redressed at the speed of light by the Meitei

CM but the government of Manipur will add fuel to the fire on our already unbearable injustice and grievances. SI Onkhomang and his family is a classic example. He died from the bullet of a Meitei terrorist but his family has grieved not only his death but the discriminatory treatment of the government.

It’s rather hard to digest the hypocrisy of the Manipur government. They said Manipur’s integrity cannot be broken but they themselves break the integrity of the principle of equal treatment of all territories under their political authority and citizens who domicile in these territories as they alienated the Kukis and their ancestral land. When they alienated lakhs of Indian citizens and thousands of square kilometers of land from the development funds and schemes but rather act as agents to oppress them, what integrity are they talking of?

A few hundred illegal immigrants from Myanmar is not proof of our citizenship illegitimacy. Lakhs of Kukis exist and continue to exist prior to and after their immigration as proud Indians. The government’s alienation and discrimination is proof of why the Kukis of Manipur need to be separated from their clutches. Our freedom fighters fought for the freedom for each of us, not to be oppressed and discriminated against. As long as Kukis are kept under the political territory of Manipur, today there is one Onkhomang Haokip tomorrow there shall be thousands. As sons and daughters of India, do we have to be another SI Onkhomang Haokip, the token of government oppression?