A new arson incident occurred on Friday night in which the house of a Meitei family was set on fire. This occurred one day after Meitei and Hmar organisations from Manipur’s Jiribam district met for the purpose of peace discussions and the easy mobility of both populations throughout the region.
The incident happened at Jiribam’s Lalpani, a region with a mainly Bengali population near the Kuki town of Sejang.
“We sent a combined team with the CRPF. There was some provocation but we have controlled the situation without further escalation. We are meeting to deliberate on how to prevent the recurrence of such incidents,” said Jiribam SP M. Pradip Singh.
The District Collector, Superintendent of Police, DIG CRPF of Jiribam, Commandants of the 39 Assam Rifles and 87 Battalion CRPF, and leaders of nine civil society organisations from Jiribam representing Meitei and Hmar interests, along with representatives from Thadou, Paitei, and Mizo, convened at the CRPF Group Centre in Cachar on Thursday. Hmar, Thadou, Paitei and Mizo all come under the Zo umbrella, which are currently in conflict with the Meiteis in Manipur.
Three important resolutions were agreed upon during the meeting. “Both sides to make full efforts to bring normalcy and prevent incidents of firing and arson” was the initial directive. The second was to work with the district’s security personnel. “Controlled and coordinated movement” was the third key.
Representatives from both sides of Jiribam met for the second time this year; the first one took place on July 1, which was less than a month after hostilities in Jiribam had flared up.
According to SP Pradip Singh, the arson incident is perceived as a reaction against these recent advancements.
“There is a section that does not want peace to come. The road ahead is challenging, we cannot be deterred. We will keep working towards it,” he said.
The central Hmar Inpui, the supreme body of the Hmar tribe with its headquarters located in Churachandpur, retaliated against its representatives in the Jiribam unit for taking part in peace initiatives the day following the peace meeting. These gatherings have been attended by Jiribam units of bodies, including the Hmar Inpui, Hmar Students’ Association, and Hmar National Union.
In a statement, the Hmar Inpui declared the Jiribam units’ initiatives “null and void” and dissolved the units in the district.
“Hmar Inpui is resolute in its stand to unite and strengthen the collective interests and movement for total separation of the Zohnathlak people from Manipur for all time to come…We shall never be a partner to a divisive coterie that design pieces and morsel of elusive peace that is thwarted to divide the great cause that we are collectively fighting for… Hmar Inpui stand resolute against the divisive communal game of Mr (chief minister) N. Biren Singh,” read their statement.
Jiribam is a small district with a diverse population, with Bengali Muslims and Hindus making up the majority, followed by Meiteis. In addition, Kuki-Zos, Nagas, Meitei Pangals, and tea tribes are among its inhabitants. Up until June 6 of this year, Jiribam had remained comparatively tranquil despite the violence that had engulfed other parts of the state.
Hmars and Kukis who lived in and around Jiribam town have fled to Cachar due to the recent unrest, and Meitiei families who lived near the Hmar-majority hills in the Borobekra subdivision are staying in relief camps in Jiribam.
A Jiribam-based Hmar group leader stated that it is imperative that they take part in the negotiations due to the challenges their displaced people are facing in Cachar.
“We have been here in Cachar for more than two months now. We are in an economically bad condition, children want to go to their schools, people want to resume their businesses. We have to find a way out and it has to be resolved at the table. We hope but there are still groups that have not joined the discussions, so it’s not guaranteed that there will not be any violence,” he said.
Jiribam is not just demographically but also geographically distinct. The state of Manipur is structured as a central Meitei-majority valley surrounded in all directions by hills, home to various Kuki-Zo, Naga and other tribes. Jiribam is located outside this geography is a plain area located at the Western-most extreme of the state, beyond the hills of Naga majority Tamenglong district and Hmar majority Pherzawl district, and contiguous with Assam’s Barak Valley.
According to the Jiribam Hmar chief, there was concern that if Kuki-Zo organisations and the state and federal governments reached a final agreement, they would be “left out.”
