Imphal/Churachandpur Muolwaifei, Valpakot, Ngurte, Thenmol and Khawpuibing are non-descript Hmar dominated tribal villages. from Manipur Churachandpur district, about 65 km from the state capital Imphal.
They are also the center of an investigation into a heinous crime and potentially the site of a new fracture in a state devastated by 18 months of ethnic conflict.
The state government and security forces are confident that these five villages are home to the terrorists, who had traveled about 250 km JiribamOn 11 November, security forces attacked a town along the Manipur-Assam border and killed two elderly Meitei residents. It is believed that there were 30–40 of them; 10 people were killed in encounters with security forces. The survivors escaped but six Meiteis, along with women and children (the youngest was eight months old), whose bodies were found at Jiribam and various places across the border in Assam. The protests in Imphal last week, including the vandalism of houses of MLAs and ministers, are indicative of public anger over the state’s failure to protect women and children.
For the Kuki-Zo-Hamar tribal inhabitants of Manipur, there are 10 heroes and martyrs. Churachandpur city is full of photographs of 10 people. There are posters on which it is written – Welcome Home. Others say, honor our fallen heroes.
When the bodies were taken to Churachandpur by security forces on 18 November, Kuki-Zo-Hamar MLAs, including local MLA LM Khaute, who was also the former chief of Manipur Police between 2016 and 2021, who received the bodies, lodged a complaint against the state government. The charges were dismissed. And security forces say those people were militants; Their families claimed that they were all civilians who had taken up arms to defend their villages in the wake of ethnic conflict in the state.
Tinnilam, wife of Lalsimlin Hamar, 34, one of the slain gunmen, said her husband was not a terrorist but a computer graphic designer. “We have a computer accessories shop in Churachandpur. Last year, he went to the front lines to protect the villages. He is a civilian who took up arms in this conflict. He was in Delhi until the pandemic struck in 2020 and did a computer course there. He is not an extremist.”
Ramhamsoum, the elder brother of slain gunman Lalthanei Infinet, 23, the youngest of the 10 alleged militants, said his brother was a painter.
“I refuse to believe that my son and his friends kidnapped women and children and later murdered them. Before the conflict, he wanted to study and was ready to take his Class 10 exams from the National Institute of Open Learning,” said Ruolnesiang’s (22) mother Wanthaliphui.
At least 250 people have been killed and more than 50,000 displaced in the ethnic conflict between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zo-Hamar tribal groups that began on May 3 last year.
Five villages are on the radar of security agencies, who believe they hold the key to the identity of the men behind the murder of six women and children.
“The truth behind the murder of six women and children lies in those villages. These are prominent Hamar villages, so all the gunmen are from here. All 10 people killed, who are from the Hmar tribe, were from those five villages, so one can assume that the 30-40 gunmen who went to Jiribam that afternoon were from there. If the NIA is successful in conducting raids in the villages, the identity of all other gunmen will become clear,” said a senior police officer posted in Manipur’s Imphal Valley.
Following protests in Imphal, the cases have been transferred to NIA, a federal agency. Pictures of mutilated bodies, such as one showing the headless body of a two-and-a-half-year-old child, sparked tension in Imphal, prompting the government to shut down the internet.
The five villages are also under close watch by security forces and intelligence agencies as they have suddenly become meeting places for all the Kuki-Zo tribal leaders.
Leaders are meeting to discuss the killing of 10 people, protest against the killing of civilians by central security forces, ways to encourage youth to be on the front lines, defend their villages and respond to the allegation . Our gunmen killed six unarmed women and children.
The Hamar community has refused to bury 10 people until they get copies of the post-mortem reports from the government. After the firing, the Kuki-zo-Hamar tribals immediately declared the 10 people “martyrs” and announced that the bodies would be taken by road from Silchar (Assam) to Churachandpur to pay last respects to the tribals; In response, security forces took the body straight to Churachandpur, fearing a possible breakdown in law and order.
“We believe the men were tortured and killed. That’s why we are asking for the postmortem report. If this is not done then we will not bury the bodies. If they deny us the reports, a second postmortem will be conducted at Churachandpur District Hospital,” said Ramnisang Phaheng, development secretary of Hmar Students Association (HSA).
Each village in Churachandpur has sent groups of 15-20 to guard the Churachandpur District Hospital to ensure that people are present to keep an eye on the mortuary.
On the road leading to Mulowaifei, one of the villages, the road is covered with black flags and photographs of Lalthanei Infimet (22), one of the 10 alleged militants killed. “We have done this for all the villages. They are not extremists. They are village volunteers who went to protect our villages because a woman from our community was raped and murdered on November 7. Ferzaul district, which is sparsely populated and shares its border with both Churachandpur and Jiribam, had become vulnerable to attacks from Jiribam, so volunteers from our village went there to protect the Kuki-Zo people, ”said an HSA spokesperson.
The murders of six women and children may have turned public opinion against the Kukis.
“During a peace meeting with tribal community leaders here, we told them that they had made a mistake by killing those unarmed women and children,” said a senior security force officer posted in Churachandpur. No one will forgive him for this crime. There is a war going on between these communities in the state but still a code has to be followed. We told him that the national press and neutral people were now against him for this terrible murder. If they object to raids in their villages by central agencies, they will stand in favor of national public opinion.
The Biren Singh-led state government, which has made little effort to hide its allegiance – Singh himself is a Meitei – is pressing for what it sees as benefits. In a resolution dated November 18, the government called for declaring the militants members of terrorist groups. The Center has already sent more than 70 companies of paramilitary forces to the state to ensure that communities do not cross the buffer zone between the valley and the hills and attack each other. Most of the residents of these villages believe that this will lead to a massive operation by the army. Kuki-Zo-Hamar tribal MLAs, who are against Biren Singh, on Wednesday objected to the proposal to launch a massive operation against just one community and instead sought talks to restore peace. “The Center and the state government should take all necessary steps to restore peace and normalcy in Manipur by initiating political dialogue to bring lasting peace in the troubled region,” the statement by the 10 rebel MLAs said.
The sentiment against the Kuki-Hamar-Zo community is palpable on the streets of Imphal. An official of COCOMI, a prominent Meitei group, said, “The protests will continue until the security agencies arrest all the terrorists and flush them out of their hideouts. “It will be more intense.”
A senior paramilitary officer in Churachandpur, on condition of anonymity, said, “Violence has taken place on a large scale in Manipur. In this wave, the Kuki-Zo tribals have lost in terms of public opinion. Youth and citizens of both sides have taken up arms. Tribal civil society organizations are suddenly hiding behind the age of gunmen and claiming to be farmers, painters and innocent civilians. Perhaps the Gram Raksha Swayamsevaks have gone rogue…”
The official said there are many unanswered questions.
“These people are from five villages of Churachandpur. What were they doing in Jiribam, about 250 km away? It takes 10-12 hours to reach there. Whose villages were they protecting there? Most importantly, how will they explain the confiscated RPG launcher recovered from them? Where did they get it from?”
He, other security officials and the state government, all believe that answers can be found in five villages.
