Why Kukis Don't Trust Meitei Manipur Police and Their Military Officials?

Testimony and horrific accounts of Kukis in Imphal valley and villagers who are forced to flee by Arambai Tenggol, on and after 3rd of May 2023, by default let the Kukis come to the conclusion that the Meitei Manipur police were no less an ISI for Arambai Tenggol as ISI are for terrorists operating in J&K. Thus, if today Arambai Tenggol is the symbol of Oppression and terror for the Kukis, the Meitei Manipur police represents the enabler of their existence. The Meitei Manipur police’s roles in the unfortunate tragedy happening today in Manipur are supportive of the allegations made against them by the Kukis.

The strength of manpower in Manipur police is never the issue, the looted arms and ammunition from the state armoury suggests there was no shortage of the necessary weapons to ensure LAW and ORDER in Manipur if they wished to. Rampant extortion and violence is the reality today in Manipur where Arambai Tenggol and Militants like UNLF(P) capture the power of police in the capital and districts inhabited by Meitei communities, But they choose to be a toothless tiger towards the culprits there. The surrendering of state armoury and law and order to a terrorist-like militia with no strong resistance from a State police force indeed is a worrying and dangerous threat that needs an immediate intervention by the central government unless we want a miniature of Taliban Afghanistan in India. India must remember it is these looted weapons that terrorise and murder its own citizens today as it landed in the wrong hands.

Arambai Tenggol became a household name amongst the Kukis only after the narration by their victims of the whole trauma and tragedy they underwent during the attacks on their villages or for the roles the Arambai Tenggol played in the massacre and atrocities in Imphal. The victims necessarily named Manipur police/commandos along with Arambai Tenggol as cohorts in waging the terror act in their villages. Victims accounts testified that those attacking the villages were accompanied by Manipur police in their vehicles and they also testified that they paved the way for Arambai Tenggol both in the attacks and in the arson of their villages, while victims from Imphal accused them of being bystanders even if they were present when atrocities were committed against them. The Manipur police thus became a Meitei police force for the Kukis. Their proactiveness in Kuki dominated areas today while the complete failure of law and order in their own courtyard further strengthens their belief.

It is utopian thinking if the Manipur police today think the Kukis would welcome and respect them like they used to, when what they rather owe is an apology. They must remember they were the same police force that turned blind and deaf to the cries and screams when helpless Kukis asked for their help. They were the same police forces that stood there as bystanders when their relatives were mobbed, lynched and murdered in front of their eyes. Imagine the shock and horror the innocent villagers have undergone as men suited in police uniforms coming in police vehicles, whom they considered must have been sent by the government for their protection, attacked and arsoned their villages. Imagine the vulnerability the Kukis must have felt when a policeman flaunted the head he butchered off publicly. Worst of all, the state government neither made any investigation into their involvement despite the victims’ complaint nor persecuted them even when there are evidences of their direct involvement. Any Indian undergoing what Kukis today have gone through in the hands of their own state police forces will have the same deficiency in trust like Kukis do today.

Their failure to perform their duties as long as the jurisdiction of crimes happen in areas dominated by Meiteis does not stop with their inability to protect Kukis in Imphal or them giving away girls to be paraded naked and gang-raped later, they continue to be the bystander in the capital and valley districts even today. From an agency that can’t protect the people holding constitutional positions like Ministers, MLAs and MPs from the clutches of Arambai Tenggol at Kangla Forte, when the plight of violence and extortion is the reality even in the capital, their proactiveness in the hills is just questionable and their intention dubious. The presence of Arambai Tenggol in their so-called combing operations, whose presence is known from the videos posted by themselves on social media, reaffirmed the victims’ account in the initial stages of the conflict. Their vehicles and uniforms which once commanded respect and authority are downgraded beyond repair in the eyes of Kukis today. They have become a symbol of agents of the Arambai Tenggol and you can’t blame them, as Arambai Tenggols flaunt themselves on social media with their uniforms while travelling in their vehicles. Thus, if today they lose respect, it’s their own actions that are responsible for the loss.

The Government of India must also take cognisance of the fact that, the deployment of any Meitei officers in the central para military forces in sensitive and bordering areas of the Kukis and Meiteis, necessarily is followed by displacement of Kuki villagers from their villages as a result of increase in attacks from Meitei militia/terrorist outfits like the Arambai Tenggol . The removal of the concerned Meitei military officers from Sugnu and Saikul areas immediately resulted in stoppage of attacks and confrontations between the two communities in the region. It can’t be a mere coincidence when it follows repeated patterns. Thus these military officials need to be thoroughly investigated and they should be held accountable if they misuse their power and authority, by deploying the central armed forces for their vested interests, by putting the lives of our jawans at risk and for misusing the tax payers’ money to wage their own war if found guilty . Their actions are sending out a wrong signal and message which is extremely dangerous in a diverse country like ours, thus they need to be suspended until proper investigations are done against them.

In the state that retired its DGP before his retirement as he was a Kuki, the same state where IPS officers belonging to the Kukis no longer hold the office they held prior to the conflict, the state government however created a new post called SSP for a Meitei retired military officer by bypassing all rules. A man who if remembered for anything, would be his role in worsening attacks and atrocities against the Kukis in Moreh and Pallen. Deny he can hundreds of times but Biren’s own actions and policies will always stand tall as evidence for his involvement in the genocide pogrom implemented against the Kukis today. He made no attempt to discretely implement the discriminatory policies towards the Kukis. The chief minister and his government are doing it openly without any fear or shame. There exists a concern of conflict of interest only if one is an officer belonging to the Kuki community in Manipur while full confidence and control is given to Meitei officials. If equality before law is murdered for officials like them, the plight of ordinary Kukis in the state needs no explanation. The recruitment spree for government jobs is another example of their discriminatory and partisan policies.

In the state capital that accommodated a rally which called for annihilation of Kukis from the state and the capture of constitutional authorities by Militia or terror outfits like Arambai Tenggol. Where a Chief Minister who comes to rescue Arambai Tenggol members as youth village volunteers despite the atrocities, heinous crimes and violence they committed, where the same state Government risks and threatens the lives of Kukis in their attempt to forcefully control over Kukis who no longer see their safety and security due to their terrifying experiences as a result of the state’s failure. When the discrimination and partisan politics against the Kukis are so courageously carried out, its not surprising they are adamant on their demands to keep the integrity of Manipur intact as the government actions, policies and tone of language for the past few years is telling of their thoughts that Kukis lives matter the least for them. No one called the people he/she shared a history together an illegal immigrant out of love and care.

If today our jawans are sent to battle in an unnecessary war in Jiribam or any other place,it is the greed of Manipur Government representing the voice of only the majority community that should be held responsible. Once the government and the majority community sees Manipur as the land of all stakeholders and not Meiteis alone and once they learn to respect the rights and wishes of people other than their own, Manipur by default will be conflict free. However, it is an impossible task for them, as they think they have the divine right over Manipur. Democracy and the Constitution of India are thrown in the bin. So much so that, they don’t shy away from using our jawans as shields for Manipur police forces and Arambai Tenggol to capture Kuki villages. Since the decision for the future of Manipur is already laid in the table of the central government, it is only wise for the state government to stop their proactiveness now, as their failure is what landed Manipur to what it is today. Their selective proactiveness is nothing but an oppression.

The central government must also necessarily take cognisance of the fact that aside from adults, even students who are the future of their society called for an annihilation of Kukis from the state of Manipur, in the rally organised by COCOMI in Imphal. Thus the hatred and enmity against the Kukis in the state of Manipur is not a problem only for the present generation but will be a problem in the future too, which the central government must keep in mind before deciding the fate of Manipur and the Kukis. A state government that does not take actions to organisers of such rally or educational institutions where they study, doesn’t have the moral right to claim they are a government that represents the people of all sections of the state, and thus the state police force which is basically under their control should not be given any authority or responsibility - not on their own capacity nor in collaboration with any para military forces - in the districts that have Kuki populace. The responsibility should be kept with the central forces freed from partisan officials alone for the safety of all the citizens.

It must have also been crystal clear for the central government by now that, be it those holding constitutional positions or those wearing the legally recognised uniform, Meitei officials and their leaders have placed enough evidence on their plate that their community interests come first for them than their constitutional and legal responsibilities. Thus, the central government should take cognisance of the fact that peace is a far cry as long as partisan individuals are placed in their position and responsibilities. The longer they delay, the further will the citizens of this country bleed and suffer.