An organisation of tribal leaders has written to the Manipur government's security advisor seeking "total separation from Manipur" amid the violence between the Meiteis and the Kukis.
"As it is evident and clear that the Meitei community with the help of the state government machineries has unleashed ethnic cleansing or genocide... It is proven that Meiteis hate us and we see no prospect of living together," the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum, or ITLF, wrote in a letter to Kuldeep Singh, the security adviser to Manipur government, on May 23.
Clashes broke out in Manipur after tribals organised a solidarity march in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the valley Meiteis' demand for Scheduled Tribes (ST) status. Tensions over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserved and protected forests, and over the destruction of large areas of poppy cultivation preceded the violence that killed over 70 people.
"There is a clear-cut partition of hill and valley people as the tribal living in Imphal have now returned to the tribal areas and the Meitei living in the tribal areas have gone to Imphal," the ITLF said in the letter.
The ITLF has asked the government to ensure the return of bodies kept in the morgues at hospitals in Imphal valley and elsewhere. They have also sought proper relief and rehabilitation of the internally displaced tribals.
The ITLF alleged over 200 churches have been either burnt or destroyed in the conflict, and over 100 tribal villages have been set on fire. Among the over 70 dead, the ITLF said 44 are tribals. It shared with the media a list of over 200 tribals who the organisation claimed were injured in the violence.
The tribal organisation alleged there has been continuous attacks by Meitei groups "Arambai Tengngol" and "Meitei Leepun" and also demanded a ban on these two groups, which allegedly have political patronage.
The Kukis have alleged the BJP government in Manipur led by Chief Minister N Biren Singh has been targeting them systematically - using the war on drugs campaign as the cover - to remove them from the forests and their homes in the hills.
The Meiteis - who live in and around Imphal valley and cannot buy land in the hills while the tribals, who live in the hills, are allowed to own land in the valley - say their place in the valley will shrink over time.
The Meiteis have demanded the government to carry out the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in Manipur to identify and deport "illegal immigrants", who they say have come in very large numbers from Myanmar and settled in hill areas.
They have also asked the government to end all "suspension of operations" (SoO) agreements signed with insurgent groups. Purported visuals of some insurgents taking part in the protest by Kukis in the hills have appeared on social media.
Both the Meiteis and the Kukis claim the number of displaced people and the extent of property destroyed including churches, temples, shops and homes are higher on their respective side. Official sources in Manipur said 75 per cent of the displaced people are Meiteis and 70 per cent of the homes set on fire or destroyed are in small Meitei settlements in the Kuki-majority hills. The Kukis contest these figures.
Manipur has been without internet for over 20 days.
