The Kuki Community Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) has accused Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh of instigating the communal strife that broke out in the northeastern state.
The Meitei and the Kukis, two communities that have been at the root of conflict in the state, have lived together for a long time. ITLF questioned why there was no riot and violence between the two communities in the state when there was a different government before 2017.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat addressing RSS’s Dussehra rally in Nagpur, asked who instigated the Manipur conflict?
While the Meitis live mainly in the Imphal Valley, the Kukis are more numerous in the hill districts. Why was the government notification of 1966 regarding reserved and protected forests under the Indian Forest Act 1927 suddenly implemented in 2023? ITLF asked.
Protests broke out in Manipur against the state government’s drive to evict tribals from reserved forest areas. The ITLF said in a statement that in the last few years there has been a more concerted attack on the rights granted to tribals under the Constitution in Manipur.
More than 180 people have been killed and hundreds injured since communal violence broke out in Manipur on May 3. Horrible acts including naked marching of women and destruction of hundreds of houses have taken place.
The Meitei community accounts for 53 percent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribal Nagas and Kukis constitute 40 percent and live in hilly districts.
