Understanding Jiribam Violence: Biren's Devilish Design for his Power Struggle

De-emphasizing the woeful plight and tragedy faced by the minority Kuki communities in the hands of the majoritarian regime of Meiteis in the northeastern state of Manipur, the national media houses often biasedly pick up any news when the Meiteis are affected in the ongoing violence, sensationalising and portraying Kukis as the culprits. Such narratives are absolutely false and unfounded in its truest sense.

There is a pattern since the beginning of the state- sponsored ethnic cleansing pogrom against the Kukis that whenever Meiteis are the perpetrators, the Police and the news media underplay it. Most of the time, they do not even tell the country that anything has happened at all. But when the Kukis retaliate, it becomes BIG NEWS.

What the media fails to see is: “Who is N. Biren Singh”. N. Biren Singh is a fascist, cheap propagandist, narcissistic in his governance and the chief instigator of the ongoing violence. He can be referred to as the “Crime Minister” of Meiteis’ Kangleipak.

Like Adolf Hitler, N. Biren Singh burned the whole of Manipur to consolidate power without any accountability. He spread cheap propaganda on his social media handles targeting the Kukis, like Hitler’s Goebbels, and comparing himself as the saviour of the Meiteis. Biren also has private militia groups, the infamous Arambai Tenggol led by Korounganba Khuman and Meitei Leepun led by Pramot Singh, which he uses to suppress his rival political leaders and dissenters, and primarily for waging war against the Kukis.

What happens in Jiribam?

Jiribam district and the adjoining bordering areas of Tamenglong district, co-inhabited by several communities including the Meiteis and Kukis, witnessed normalcy for the past one year even though there were few petty cases of incidents. In the wake of the state-sponsored ethnic cleansing pogrom against the Kukis, the neutral Central security forces managed to calm the situation between the two warring communities.

However, violence erupted on June 6, 2024 when the radicalised Meitei armed groups, sponsored by N. Biren Singh, spontaneously burnt several houses of Kukis in Uchathol, co-inhabited locality of Meiteis and Kukis (Hmar tribe), on the pretext of a suspected death case. Just because one person, a 59- year old Sarat Kumar, a Meitei, was killed by unknown miscreants, the Meiteis of Jiribam reacted against the Kukis and started burning down the houses of some Hmar communities, which is absolutely wrong!

The Meiteis burning Kuki houses over an unverified murder of a Meitei was a critical mistake. This was proven by the Meitei Professor of JNU, Oinam Bhagat, in a TV Discussion. This act shattered the existing peace and provoked the Kukis to retaliate.

Convincingly, the killing of Sarat Kumar Singh was not carried out by “Kuki militants”. The fact is that he was a Congress worker who worked against the radicalised armed groups of Arambai Tenggol that supported N. Biren Singh’s party, BJP. This issue has been covered up by the mainstream media. He could well have been killed by the BJP militias for political reasons.

Actually, the genesis of violence and tension between the two warring communities began on May 14, 2024 when a lifeless body of a Kuki boy was found on the river bank of Jiri. A Kuki young boy Mr. Seigoulen Singson @ Bosco S/o. Mr. Seikholet Singson of Phaitol village, Tousem Sub-division, Tamenglong District, was murdered by Meitei armed militants. He was kidnapped and murdered on the night of 14th May, and his decomposed and badly tortured body was later retrieved from Jiri River on 17th of May near Molzawl village. The spot in which he went missing was hardly 30 metres from the Police Commando outpost and as such it was pertinent to conclude that the police were involved.

Biren Singh’s Evil Design visit to strife-torn Jiribam:

In the aftermath of the violence in Jiribam, the Meitei Chief Minister, N. Biren Singh, proposed his visit to the strife-torn Jiribam district. This was seen, in the political circle, as his last opportunity of taking advantage to stay in power at the top post amid the rumours of his replacement after the Party’s miserable performance in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections in Manipur.

The Meitei militants, Police Commandos and other radicalised armed groups began moving swiftly towards Jiribam afterwards for the past three days as reinforcement, thus escalating tension between the two warring communities. The Meitei Police Commandos were airlifted to Jiribam, which brings great threats to the lives and properties of the Kukis.

Thinking that Meitei CM going to Jiribam will bring “peace” to Jiribam is living in a fool’s paradise. The fact is that he is the chief instigator of the Manipur mayhem.

Can someone digest that the Chief Minister will use the road to travel when his Commandos chose to use helicopters to reach Jiribam?

The political class in Imphal normally travels by chopper to Jiribam and returns the same day after their work is done. Biren’s turning Nelson’s eye to not only a security risk but also the time and condition of the road to be travelled raises eyebrows.

It is nothing but Biren’s dirty game of trying to defame Kukis and to cover up his crimes against humanity. It is also the evil design being played by N. Biren Singh in order to gain sympathy from the Meitei public so as to cling to the top of the political power.