Manipur violence: Intense firing, arson resume; three dead, houses burnt

IMPHAL, Aug 5: Violence has returned to Manipur beginning a more threatening phase of the three-month old strife that claimed over 150 lives so far. Organised firing has begun by rival communities, who have in their custody stockpiles of arms like AK-47, machine guns and bombs. At least three more people died early on Saturday. Several houses were burnt in Bishnupur. Inphal is also tense as the curfew is violated. There is contnuous firing in the buffer zone.

Everything seemed to settle down on Thursday, the day the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) had planned a mass burial of 35 bodies in Bolijang village in Torbung Bangla in Churachandpur district bordering Bishnupur, the latter a Meitei majority district. They had announced their plan on Monday. The Meiteis' COCOMI front had opposed the burial saying that for one, the land belongs to the Government and two, it is very close to Meitei homes. When the Meiteis tried to break a barricade and tried to cross into Churachandpur, the Assam Rifle and the Rapid Action force prevented them and in the ensuing stone-throwing and clashes 30 Meira Paibis were injured.

There were three positive developments on Thursday:

1) The High Court ordered status quo in response to a petition by the International Meitei Forum vis-a-vis the burial plan.

2) The Union Home Ministry wrote to the ITLF to postpone the burial and that the Government will find a solution.

3) The ITLF then issued a press statement postponing the burial. (However, the press statement contained potentially explosive matters, indicating that there is not going to be an easy solution to the Manipur problem.)

All these ingredients pointed to a turning point, a prospective settlement of the Manipur problem ahead.

But that was not to be. Both sides started stockpiling arms. During the evening and the day after several police posts and armouries were looted of huge quantities of weapons.

On Friday a crowd forcibly entered a police armoury and seized firearms, including the AK and ‘Ghatak’ series of assault rifles, and over 19,000 rounds. The looting took place at the 2nd India Reserve Battalion’s battalion headquarters at Naranseina, Bishnupur district.

Friday overnight began the shooting from the hills. Intense shooting continues. Assam Rifles, RAF and the army are on standby in the buffer zone between the valley and the hills.

There were fresh incidents in Bishnupur district on Friday. The violence resulted in the death of at least three people from the Meitei community in the Kwakta area. Several houses of the Kuki community were also set on fire.

Heavy firing continued on Saturday in the border area of Kangvai, between the Valley and the hills. Also in Imphal violence continued as mobs violated curfew. Mobs clashed with the police in West Imphal.

The beginning of the ethnic clashes

The ethnic clashes started in the northeastern state of Manipur on May 3, when the tribal Kukis who live in the hills staged protests against a move to grant Scheduled Tribe status to Meiteis also, who live in the valley, saying that it will reduce their quota. The Meiteis form the majority community. Over 160 people have died in violence since then and over 50,000 have been displaced. Hundreds of houses have been burnt on both sides.

Both sides have unlimited stockpiles of modern weapons and ammunition, mainly looted from the armouries of the security forces. It is reported that 4,000 weapons and 50,000 rounds of ammunition and mortars and grenades have been looted from police stations and armouries in both hills and the valley since the clashes began. In addition, around 500 people in 40 vehicles looted arms and ammunition from the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) camp at Naraseina in Bishnupur district on August 3.