The Manipur violence broke out on May 3 between the Meiteis and the Kuki tribe
The Manipur Home Department has ordered the state's top cop to file a police case against a students' body for publishing a book that accused the BJP government of "ethnic cleansing". The state has been grappling with violence between the hill-majority Kuki tribe and the valley-majority Meiteis since May 3; nearly 150 have been killed.
Manipur Home Commissioner T Ranjit Singh in a letter to the police chief Rajiv Singh said the Zomi Students' Federation Union published a book, 'The Inevitable Split - Documents On State Sponsored Ethnic Cleaning in Manipur, 2023', which accused the N Biren Singh government of atrocities.
The Zomi students' body in a statement criticised the government action, saying the BJP government has been "unleashing thousands of lies in the electronic and print media."
In the letter with the subject "most urgent", the Home Commissioner requested the police chief to take action against the Zomi students' body and to stop more copies of the book - which squarely blames the state government for the violence - from being published.
A complaint was also filed by a lawyer, Thokchom Punshiba Singh, asking the police chief to register a first information report, or FIR, against the accused author and the Zomi students' body.
Reports say the book contains material blaming the state government and the administration for the violence that broke out on May 3.
Nearly 150 people have been killed in the Manipur ethnic violence that broke out on May 3
Many other tribal groups have alleged the Chief Minister is responsible for the violence and have demanded his resignation and the imposition of President's rule.
"What is more amusing is that the government of Manipur has been unleashing thousands of lies in the electronic and print media since May 3. This ethnic cleansing is crystal clear, that was is premeditated and planned. Moreover, it is sponsored and led by the state government," the Zomi students' body said in a statement.
"We will not shy away from the government's suppression of our freedom of speech and expression, which is enshrined in the Fundamental Rights of the Constitution. Many publications are in the pipeline to make the rights and sentiments of the Zo ethnic groups. We demand justice for all the Zo ethnic groups in Manipur in general and all the victims in
Particular," the students' body said in the statement.
The Supreme Court while hearing petitions on the Manipur violence today said it is the government's job to ensure law and order.
The court told the central and the state governments to consider the request of the Manipur High Court Bar Association to ensure that a 10-km highway stretch, critical for essential supplies, be clear. The court will hear the matter next tomorrow.