"To Improve Public Image": Kuki Groups On Arambai Tenggol Handing Over Firearms

Three civil society groups of the Kuki tribes in Manipur have called the handover of over 300 weapons by the Arambai Tenggol (AT) "a mere gesture" to improve their public image.

The weapons that have been handed over to the police account for only 5 per cent of the 6,000 firearms looted from the valley areas, the three Kuki groups alleged.

In a joint statement, the Churachandpur-based Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) and the Kangpokpi-based Committee of Tribal Unity (CoT) condemned Manipur Governor AK Bhalla's meeting with Arambai Tenggol, which the Kuki calls a "radical armed militia responsible for waging war against the Kuki-Zo community."

"This meeting is a blatant disregard for the lives and safety of the Kuki-Zo people, who have suffered greatly at the hands of this militia," the joint statement said.

The two organisations reiterated their demand for a separate administration carved out of Manipur.

READ | Arambai Tenggol Surrenders Firearms, Civilians Ask Security Forces To Prevent Attacks In Manipur

The Kuki Inpi Manipur,  condemning the meeting between the Arambai Tenggol delegation and the Governor, said the "blatant engagement with individuals and groups responsible for orchestrating violence against the Kuki-Zo tribal community is unacceptable and demands immediate clarification."

It asked five questions including why Arambai Tenggol chief Korounganba Khuman, who is named in a case being handled by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), was "entertained" by the Governor?

"What concrete actions have the Manipur Police taken against the Meitei militants they claim to have arrested? While daily reports boast of arrests, there is no evidence of prosecution or legal action. Are these arrests genuine, or mere publicity stunts to justify the disproportionate targeting of Kuki-Zo individuals in the hill districts?" the Kuki Inpi Manipur said.

It asked why no action has been taken against Meitei teen activist Licypriya Kangujam, "despite overwhelming online evidence of her procurement of drones used by Meitei militias against the Kuki-Zo community."

The AT, comprising members of the valley-dominant Meitei community, says it was a cultural organisation that was compelled to take up arms as "village volunteers" due to ineffective law enforcement in the early days of the ethnic violence; it says lack of law enforcement led to Meitei villages in the foothills coming under attacks from Kuki militants.

In a memorandum submitted to the Governor on Tuesday, the AT asked for "no arrest or legal action against village volunteers including Arambai Tenggol by any commission, tribunal, court, etc".

Kuki and Meitei civil society organisations have been asking the Centre to ensure simultaneous disarmament due to the severe loss of trust between the two sides - both accuse each other of attacking villages in the foothills, where the valley and the hills meet.

The valley-dominant Meitei community and over a dozen distinct tribes collectively known as Kuki, who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur, have been fighting since May 2023 over a range of issues such as land rights and political representation. Over 250 have been killed and 50,000 have been internally displaced.

Chief Minister N Biren Singh and his council of ministers resigned on February 9, after which the Governor placed the assembly in suspended animation, or MLAs active but without powers, following the imposition of the President's rule.