Manipur violence: NAMTA appeals US prez Biden

North American Manipur Tribal Association (NAMTA) 

1302 East Collins Boulevard, Suite 111

Richardson, TX 75081 

https://namta.us/

June 12, 2023

The President of the United States of America, Joseph R Biden  

1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500-0003 
United States of America

June 12, 2023

Subject: Appeal to President Biden to take cognizance of the ongoing humanitarian crisis and human rights violations in Manipur, India, and relay concerns to Prime Minister Narendra Modi upon his state visit to the U.S.

 

Dear President Biden:

The North American Manipur Tribal Association (NAMTA) would like to draw your serious and immediate attention to the ongoing ethnic conflict and humanitarian crisis in Manipur, India.

Specifically, we want to make an earnest appeal to you to take cognizance of the ongoing human rights violations of the Christian minority Kuki-Zomi tribes in Manipur, India. We believe that the United States is deeply committed to championing the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights driven by the founding values of our nation and the conviction that international peace, security, and prosperity are strengthened when human rights and fundamental freedoms are respected and protected. We appeal to you and your office to reinforce America’s continued commitment to justice by living up to its ideals at home and meeting its international human rights obligations.

 

The ethnic clashes began on May 3, 2023, between the non-tribal Meiteis and the Kuki-Zomi tribes as a consequence of long-drawn contestation over access to land and resources and the Meiteis long-pending demand for ‘Schedule Tribe’ status (ST) (‘affirmative action’) that the Constitution of India entitles to marginalized communities to benefits in jobs, educational institutions, and greater administrative autonomy, among other constitutional protections. While the largely Hindu Meitei community form about 60% of Manipur’s over 3.1 million population and mostly resides in the state capital of Imphal, the predominantly Christian Kuki-Zomi tribes constitute 25% of the population and mostly inhabit the hilly regions. The tribals have historical and ancestral relationships with the hills and are the traditional stewards of these forest lands.

Due to unequal power relations, the tribals are structurally disadvantaged because they lack access to social, cultural, and economic capital vis-a-vis the Meiteis.

 

As of June 12, 2023, over 100 lives have been lost, over 300 people injured, over 200 churches burned and desecrated, thousands of homes razed to the ground, and as many as 40,000 civilians have been internally displaced. While both the Meitei and Kuki-Zomi communities have suffered

losses due to the ethnic conflict, the Kuki-Zomis minorities have been unequivocally and disproportionately placed at the receiving end of the violence in terms of casualties, deaths, destruction of homes, properties, and forcible displacement. Furthermore, Kuki-Zomi women, children, and the elderly have experienced gender-based violence and atrocities through rapes, sexual assaults, immolation, and murders by Meitei vigilante groups comprising men and women.

 

Witness and survivor accounts allege that radicalized Meitei militia groups, such as the ‘Arambai Tenggol’ and the ‘Meitei Leepun,’ that operate under the pretext of cultural organizations are the masterminds behind the brutal violence perpetrated against the Kuki-Zomi people. Highly placed security personnel confirm that about 4000 weapons and 500,000 rounds of ammunition have been looted from various police stations in the capital city of Imphal, indicating alarming levels of state complicity in the perpetration of unprovoked attacks against Kuki-Zomi villages and ‘volunteers’ defending them. Witness and survivor accounts allege that radicalized Meitei militia groups, such as the ‘Arambai Tenggol’ and the ‘Meitei Leepun,’ that operate under the pretext of cultural organizations are the masterminds behind the brutal violence perpetrated against the Kuki-Zomi people. Highly placed security personnel confirm that about 4000 weapons and 500,000 rounds of ammunition have been looted from various police stations in the capital city of Imphal, indicating alarming levels of state complicity in the perpetration of unprovoked attacks against Kuki-Zomi villages and ‘volunteers’ defending them. In fact, the Meitei Leepun leader, Pramot Singh, has brazenly invoked a genocide threat against the Kuki-Zomi people in an interview with a veteran journalist, Karan Thapar, on national TV with unhinged impunity, indirectly incriminating the majoritarian state machinery and its patronage of Meitei militias.

 

Given the severity and urgency of the matter, we urge you to actively engage with the Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, during his state visit on behalf of the

U.S. Many of our Kuki-Zomi immigrants from Manipur are law-abiding citizens, taxpayers, voters, lawful permanent residents, workers, or students. We have families, relatives, and friends killed, hurt, displaced, and rendered homeless due to the ongoing violence, and they continue to struggle for basic human rights-- the right to life and liberty.

 

We at NAMTA hold unwavering trust in the United States’ commitment to continuing its efforts to be a strong advocate for all people, nationally and globally, who suffer from discrimination, abuse, and oppression and a stalwart defender of justice on behalf of the unjustly persecuted. We also request your office, if possible, to appeal to the American embassies in India and affiliated stakeholders to assist in providing immediate humanitarian aid and assistance to the internally displaced Kuki-Zomi communities of Manipur, whose lives and livelihood continue to hang in the balance.

 

Thank you for your attention to this matter, and we look forward to hearing from your office with great anticipation. Please do not hesitate to contact us for additional information or documentation.

 

With immense hope and gratitude,

 

Members of the North American Manipur Tribal Association (NAMTA)

Sources and news coverage of the Manipur ethnic conflict:

 

-          “A Rising India Is Also, in One Remote Pocket, a Blood-Soaked War Zone.” The New York Times. June 9, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/09/world/asia/india- manipur-conflict.html

-          “Meitei ‘Pride’ Group’s Threat—‘Kukis Mainly Illegal, Modi Must Intervene Or There’ll Be Civil War.’” The Wire with Karan Thapar. June 6, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDJnPewUhmU

-          “Manipur: Over 4,000 weapons snatched from armouries, Army ready with combing operation plan.” Deccan Herald. June 2, 2023. https://www.deccanherald.com/national/east-and-northeast/manipur-over-4000-weapons- snatched-from-armouries-army-ready-with-combing-operation-plan-1224316.html

-          CBI to probe if violence in Manipur was pre-planned. The Hindu, June 9, 2023. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/cbi-to-probe-six-cases-hm-asks-naga-mlas-to- help-bridge-meitei-kuki-divide/article66947338.ece

-          “1 month into Manipur violence, death toll rises to 98; at least 310 injured, over 4k cases of arson.” The Indian Express. June 3, 2023. https://indianexpress.com/article/north-east- india/manipur/manipur-violence-death-toll-injured-8643494

-          “Our Daughters Were Killed in Imphal on May 5. We Haven’t Even Been Able to Retrieve Their Bodies.” Paotinthang Hangsing & Paolien Chongloi. The Wire. May 29, 2023. https://thewire.in/rights/manipur-imphal-violence-daughters-killed

-          “Manipur: 7-Yr-Old Boy, His Mother and Neighbour Killed as Mob Sets Ambulance on Fire.” The Wire. June 7, 2023. https://thewire.in/security/manipur-7-yr-old-boy-his- mother-and-neighbour-killed-as-mob-sets-ambulance-on-fire

-          “How Fake News Created Pretexts to Lynch Kuki-Zo Women in Manipur.” NewsClick. June 1, 2023. https://www.newsclick.in/how-fake-news-created-pretexts- lynch-kuki-zo-women-manipur

-          “IDs checked, skull cracked, ‘dumped alive’ in mortuary — 3 Kuki survivors recount Manipur mob horror.” Sonal Matharu. The Print. June 1, 2023. https://theprint.in/india/ids-checked-skull-cracked-dumped-alive-in-mortuary-3-kuki- survivors-recount-manipur-mob-horror/1604886/

-          “Can still feel the blows...Imphal murdered my family’: Manipur violence survivor recalls escape.” Newslaundry. June 1, 2023. https://www.newslaundry.com/2023/06/01/can-still-feel-the-blowsimphal-murdered-my- family-manipur-violence-survivor-recalls-escape

-          “Manipur Violence: Eyewitness Accounts | Students of Manipur University Tell Their Stories on News18.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtbH6zSdk-8&t=2s.

-          “Survivors’ Stories: ‘…they paraded them naked’-B Phainom Village, Kangpokpi district, Manipur.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UADlcoheNL8.

-          “Survival Story | English Subtitles | Agnes Neikhohat | Manipur Crisis,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHIdYYuWeBY

-          “Students recount how they escaped stick-wielding rioters in the Manipur University campus.” The Telegraph. May 10, 2023. https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/students- recount-how-they-escaped-stick-wielding-rioters-in-the-manipur-university- campus/cid/1935630

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