Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 23: Tension in the violence-rocked Manipur has spilled over to the neighbouring Mizoram where the Meitei people are planning mass exodus fearing reprisals from the majority Mizos.
Approximately 1,500 Meitei families are known to reside and work across Mizoram, according to official sources. There have been widespread reports of Meiteis leaving the capital city, Aizawl, by various modes of transportation.
The outrage that followed a video of two Kuki women being gang raped and paraded naked in Manipur by the Meities, who are in majority in Manipur, has led to panic among the small community of Meiteis residing in Mizoram, with many of them leaving the state on Saturday. In response to the situation, the Manipur government said it was willing to evacuate them from the state through chartered flight.
The Mizos of Mizoram share a deep ethnic bond with the Kuki-Zomis of Manipur and have been closely watching the developments in the neighbouring state. In fact, 12,584 Kuki-Zomi people from Manipur have sought shelter in Mizoram since the violence began on May 3. The Mizoram government has also assured safety of the Meities in Mizoram.
The current panic began after the Peace Accord MNF Returnees’ Association (PAMRA) — an association of former underground Mizo National Front Militants — issued a statement on Friday asking Meiteis residing in Mizoram to leave “for their own safety.” The statement, written in Mizo, states that the sentiments of Mizo people were deeply hurt by the violence against the Zomi ethnic community in Manipur, and that it is no longer safe for Meitei people to continue living in Manipur. The Mizoram Home Commissioner and Secretary H Lalengmawia met with leaders of the Meitei community, assuring them of their safety and security, according to an official statement.
The influential civil society group, the Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA), has also encouraged the Meiteis to live peacefully. The Mizo Students Union (MZU) has decided to halt its proposed drive to collect data about Meiteis in Mizoram after discussions with the state government.
PAMRA cited “anger among Mizo youth” over the incident involving the two women in the neighbouring state as the reason. They added that any potential violence against the Meiteis in Mizoram would solely be their responsibility. According to PAMRA, “The situation in Mizoram has become tense, and it is no longer safe for Meitei people from Manipur to live in Mizoram…” They appealed to all Meitei people in Mizoram to return to their home state as a safety measure.
Ethnic clashes in Manipur have resulted in the deaths of at least 125 people and over 40,000 have fled their homes since violence erupted on May 3. The conflict began between the Kuki tribal group and the Meitei, a non-tribal ethnic majority, over disputes regarding economic benefits and quotas allocated to tribes.
The Manipur Police has arrested the sixth person in connection with the May 4 naked parading of the Kuki women. Police said the arrested person was a juvenile. The police had made the first arrest on Thursday more than 80 days after the incident. Three more arrests were made later that day. The fifth accused, a 19-year old youth, was arrested on Saturday.
Meiteis account for about 53% of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40% and reside mostly in the hill districts.
The four accused, arrested on July 20 were remanded to 11-day police custody on Friday. The Manipur viral video, which surfaced on social media on Wednesday was taken down by Twitter due to the request made by the Indian government.
