"Every Peace Rally Is Violence Day For Kukis": Manipur BJP Spokesperson's House Set On Fire For 3rd Time

Manipur BJP spokesperson and Thadou tribe leader T Michael Lamjathang Haokip's house was vandalised and set on fire in Kuki-dominated Churachandpur district today. This was the third attack at his house since the Meitei-Kuki ethnic violence began in May 2023.

The latest attack comes on a day the Kuki tribes are holding protests against Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, who they say is responsible for the crisis. They have cited a leaked audio tape - which the state government has called "doctored" - to strengthen their allegations against Mr Singh, who belongs to the BJP. They held the rallies in Churachandpur's Leishang, Kangpokpi's Keithelmanbi, and Tengnoupal's Moreh.

Many other recognised tribes in Manipur did not participate in the Kuki-led protests today, and communicated their decisions through public statements -- unlike on May 3, 2023 when under the banner of the All Tribal Students' Union Manipur (ATSUM) some non-Kuki tribes participated.

"Every peace rally is a violence day for Kukis. Down with ultra Kuki extremists and supremacists," Mr Haokip said in a post on X, alluding to the Kuki-led protest on May 3, 2023 - the day large-scale ethnic clashes began in Manipur.

"Phatthei In (Blessed Home) - mom and dad's residence in Peniel village, Manipur by ultra Kuki supremacists and extremist groups. Any of my actions shouldn't have been combined with my parents and families. I will not stop to stand for justice, truth and non-violence," Mr Haokip said in another post.

Six days ago, over two dozen people, some of them armed, had vandalised Mr Haokip's house, where his parents and four families displaced by the violence live. The attackers also fired shots in the air.

Mr Haokip told NDTV the brazen daylight attack today - despite the police having filed a first information report (FIR) naming several individuals as suspects in the previous attack on Sunday - shows the "Kuki supremacists take India's laws as jokes."

"The supremacists run the show in Kuki-dominated Churachandpur. They think they will get away with anything now. They instigate and attack, and then play the victim card in front of the world," Mr Haokip told NDTV.

Other Thadou tribe leaders who are close to Mr Haokip said the "Kuki supremacists" are attacking him to draw a response from the government, and then present themselves in front of the world as victims of action by state forces. 

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, condemning the attack on Mr Haokip's house, said apart from punishing the perpetrators, the government will take action against officers who did not ensure security despite warning of threats.

"I strongly condemn the arson attack at Shri Michael Lamjathang Haokip's parents' residence for the third time today. The repeated targeting of our people (Thadou in this case), often under the guise of peace rallies, is a deeply troubling trend," Mr Singh said in a post on X.

"Such acts of provocation will not be tolerated. We will ensure that those responsible are held accountable. Moreover, action will be taken against the concerned officials who failed to provide adequate security, despite prior warnings of potential threats," the Chief Minister said.

Mr Haokip has said he has been raising awareness about his tribe, Thadou, being inaccurately referred to as a Kuki tribe amid the ethnic tension in Manipur. This has angered "Kuki supremacists" as they do not want to accept the Thadou tribe's distinct identity, Mr Haokip said.

Last week, three MLAs from among the 10 who have been demanding a separate administration carved out of Manipur had clarified they want their own tribes to be called by their correct names, instead of being associated only with the term "Kuki-Zo".

On social media, the three MLAs received threats of boycott and other "consequences" for allegedly weakening the Kuki tribes' resolve to persuade the Centre to create a separate administration. One of the BJP MLAs had told NDTV everyone should feel free to state facts about the tribe they belong to. "I fail to understand why threats are coming my way for simply saying to which tribe I and the people I represent belong," the leader told NDTV on Monday, requesting anonymity.

Right after the attack at Mr Haokip's house on Sunday night, a video appeared on social media of a man showing a gun and a bullet and threatening to kill Mr Haokip. Another video, which appeared on Monday, shows a man in black tactical wear surrounded by three in camouflage battle dress carrying AK series assault rifles - all of them masked - saying they will kill Mr Haokip wherever he is, whether "Delhi or Guwahati".

The four men cannot be village defence volunteers who usually carry licenced single-barrelled and small-calibre handguns, a retired police officer in Churachandpur had said, requesting anonymity.

On August 5, the Chief Minister had met representatives of several small tribes and heard their concerns about bigger tribes trying to suppress their identities.

The clashes between the valley-dominant Meitei community and the nearly two dozen tribes under the Kukis nomenclature - a term given by the British in colonial times - who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur, has killed over 220 people and internally displaced nearly 50,000.

The general category Meiteis want to be included under the Scheduled Tribes category, while the Kukis who share ethnic ties with people in neighbouring Myanmar's Chin State and Mizoram want a separate administration carved out of Manipur, citing discrimination and unequal share of resources and power with the Meiteis.