Churachandpur MLA Lallian Mang Khaute pays respects to 10 "militants" killed in encounter with CRPF
An MLA from Manipur's Churachandpur district has raised a huge controversy over his social media posts calling 10 "militants" who were killed in an encounter on November 11 "martyrs".
Churachandpur MLA Lallian Mang Khaute, who is also a retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the 1985-batch, posted videos on Facebook and X showing him paying respects to the 10 men.
The Manipur Police in a statement said the 10 "militants" were killed in retaliatory fire after a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in Jiribam's Borobekra was attacked by the "militants". The police shared visuals of what they claimed were assault rifles and a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher recovered from the "militants". A CRPF soldier was injured in the attack.
On the same day, six members of a family from the Meitei community including an infant, a two-year-old boy and an eight-year-old girl were taken hostage by another group of militants. They were killed in captivity and their bodies dumped into a river. The Manipur government on Monday in a cabinet resolution called them "Kuki militants" and sought to designate them as an "unlawful organisation" - a terrorist group.
In the post on Facebook, the BJP MLA of the Kuki-dominant hill district wrote, "Today, we gather with profound sorrow to honour and pay our respects to the 10 brave martyrs whose lives were tragically lost on the 11th of November. They have been brought from Silchar to Lamka [Churachandpur district] Hospital Mortuary. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families during this difficult time. May their souls find eternal peace and may we always remember their sacrifice."
Mr Khaute uploaded the same video on X with a different caption.
"Paying respects to the ten martyrs, who have been brought from Silchar today at Lamka [Churachandpur] Hospital Mortuary. May their souls rest in peace," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
A zero first information report (FIR) has been filed against Mr Khaute in Delhi by the general secretary of the Republican Party of India (Athawale) and Manipur resident Maheshwar Thounaojam. A zero FIR is one that is filed in any police station, to be forwarded to the relevant police station later in another state.
"All of us gathered here today came from different parts of the country. We are all Indians and we are one. The world needs to be told what the Kuki terrorists and their enablers are doing in Manipur. It is not just about Manipur. If it was, we wouldn't have come to this police station in the national capital," Maheshwar Thounaojam told reporters.
"We need to tell everyone across the country about Kuki terrorists. We stand together, and you see there are leaders from Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, many other states here, listening to us," Mr Thounaojam said. "He (Khaute) is playing a dangerous game. He's like a snake in a play school," he said, adding as a former police chief Mr Khaute should have known better and not acted in a manner that would lead to infamy after a career in the IPS.
Many from the Meitei community including those living abroad also criticised the Churachandpur MLA over his comments on social media.
"What does one say about an MLA who glorifies 10 slain militants shot by the CRPF as martyrs? In their relentless push for a separate territory and Union Territory status, are the Kukis now openly legitimising the use of militancy to achieve their aims? The world must question: is this a political struggle or a dangerous endorsement of armed rebellion? If the line between politics and militancy blurs, are we staring at the erosion of lawful discourse in favour of violence?" Australia-based journalist from the Meitei community Indira Laisram said in a post on X.
The Manipur cabinet in an eight-point resolution released on Monday said it has resolved "to start mass operations against the Kuki militants responsible for the killing of six innocent women and children in Jiribam within seven days."
The cabinet also sought to "declare the Kuki militants responsible for the killing of the six innocent women and children as an 'unlawful organisation' within seven days". If implemented, the Kuki militants responsible for taking hostage and killing them would be designated a terrorist group.
Barbaric Actions, Say Kuki Groups
Several civil society groups and student organisations of the Kuki tribes had condemned what they called "barbaric actions" of the CRPF. They alleged the men were "village volunteers" who were "treacherously murdered", and that the CRPF soldiers conspired with the Manipur Police and armed groups to carry out the attack.
Some of the Kuki groups that condemned the CRPF and called for a thorough investigation into the matter include Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO) General Headquarters, Zomi Students' Federation, Hmar Students' Association, Thadou Youth Association, and Kuki Women Organisation for Human Rights.
A senior KSO member, who requested anonymity, said the Kuki tribes have been "pushed to the wall" and the deaths of "11 village volunteers" have hurt the community immensely. The weapons claimed to have been found in the hands of the "village volunteers" could be from anyone, the member said.
"We are aware of what we have said in the statement; it is out of desperation. Who is listening to us? We are not endorsing violence. But we feel helpless. The central forces are supposed to be neutral. The CRPF is under the Home Ministry," said the KSO official, adding the nuances of the angst of the Kuki tribes after the "Jiribam horror" shouldn't be seen in a binary manner. "There is someone behind all this, while the two communities fight. This is what everybody should know," the official said.
Central security forces including the Assam Rifles have faced allegations of bias while operating in Manipur. The valley-dominant Meitei community has often alleged Assam Rifles of going soft on Kuki militants due to the SoO agreement.