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In this episode, Mr. Sujit Nair engages in a conversation with Kim Lhouvum, a member of the Kuki community. Kim shares a heartbreaking account of the atrocities her family and community have endured amidst the ongoing violence in Manipur. The violence, which began in May, has resulted in a tragic toll of at least 130 people killed and 400 wounded. Moreover, over 60,000 people have been displaced from their homes due to the efforts of the army, paramilitary forces, and police to quell the unrest.
The situation escalated when the Kukis protested against demands from the Meiteis for official tribal status. The Kukis feared that such a move would further strengthen the Meiteis' influence on the government and society, potentially leading to land acquisition and settlement in predominantly Kuki areas.
However, there are multiple underlying reasons for the conflict. The Kukis also believe that the Meitei-led government's war on drugs is a ploy to uproot their communities. Additionally, tensions have been fueled by illegal migration from Myanmar, competition for land due to population growth, and unemployment, which has driven the youth to join various militias.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had remained silent on the violence in Manipur until a video of the May 4 attack surfaced, prompting him to speak out against the incident. He expressed his condemnation and promised that those responsible would face consequences for their actions. However, many Indians are questioning why it took so long for him to publicly address the situation in Manipur.
In response to the violence, the Indian government has deployed a considerable force of 40,000 soldiers, paramilitary troops, and police to the region. Despite calls from tribal leaders for direct rule, the government has not yet imposed such measures.
#Manipur #MEITEI #KUKI #ManipurUnrest #ManipurHorror #ViralVideo #NAGA #NBirenSingh #BJP #AmitShah #PMModi #SujitNair #HWNews
https://linktr.ee/sujitnair
In this episode, Mr. Sujit Nair engages in a conversation with Kim Lhouvum, a member of the Kuki community. Kim shares a heartbreaking account of the atrocities her family and community have endured amidst the ongoing violence in Manipur. The violence, which began in May, has resulted in a tragic toll of at least 130 people killed and 400 wounded. Moreover, over 60,000 people have been displaced from their homes due to the efforts of the army, paramilitary forces, and police to quell the unrest.
The situation escalated when the Kukis protested against demands from the Meiteis for official tribal status. The Kukis feared that such a move would further strengthen the Meiteis' influence on the government and society, potentially leading to land acquisition and settlement in predominantly Kuki areas.
However, there are multiple underlying reasons for the conflict. The Kukis also believe that the Meitei-led government's war on drugs is a ploy to uproot their communities. Additionally, tensions have been fueled by illegal migration from Myanmar, competition for land due to population growth, and unemployment, which has driven the youth to join various militias.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had remained silent on the violence in Manipur until a video of the May 4 attack surfaced, prompting him to speak out against the incident. He expressed his condemnation and promised that those responsible would face consequences for their actions. However, many Indians are questioning why it took so long for him to publicly address the situation in Manipur.
In response to the violence, the Indian government has deployed a considerable force of 40,000 soldiers, paramilitary troops, and police to the region. Despite calls from tribal leaders for direct rule, the government has not yet imposed such measures.
#Manipur #MEITEI #KUKI #ManipurUnrest #ManipurHorror #ViralVideo #NAGA #NBirenSingh #BJP #AmitShah #PMModi #SujitNair #HWNews
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NewsTranscript
00:00 My today's guest is Kim Lavam.
00:16 Kim is a fellow Indian.
00:18 Kim is from Manipur and Kim belongs to the Kuki tribe in Manipur.
00:26 Kim lost members of her family.
00:30 In fact, members of her family were burnt alive.
00:35 Kim, what happened?
00:38 This happened on the 3rd of May and my village took the brunt on 4th.
00:44 On the 4th morning-ish, this whole group of people, the mobs called the Arambai Tengal
00:52 and the Meitei Lipun groups, they went to my village, they burned all the houses of
00:59 all the Kuki community groups.
01:05 My house and so many other families also were raised to ashes on the 4th of May.
01:16 Then these people had nowhere to flee, they were nowhere to move because everywhere is
01:25 all connected with the other community who are doing all this.
01:29 But somehow they managed to flee through the jungles.
01:37 They had to cross mountains of mountains to reach to other side of the district.
01:44 Now the village I have come from is also a village where that boy Tonsing and his mother
01:53 and auntie was burnt alive.
01:55 He in fact is a maternal uncle of mine.
02:00 What happened on that day, it was on the 4th May the village was attacked.
02:06 Then they fled to this Assam Rifle, they took shelter over there and I think it was much
02:12 after 4th.
02:15 On that fateful day what happened was, this boy was playing outside, mother busy cooking
02:22 and from somewhere this sniper shot came and hit him, this boy.
02:29 The injury was so bad that he was bleeding so profusely, he needed immediate attention
02:37 and that also not nearby any chota mota hospital, they had to rush to this infall.
02:45 The doctor told them, the Assam Rifle people told them he needs attention within 20 minutes
02:50 otherwise he was in danger.
02:52 So what arrangement was made then?
02:57 This uncle of mine is married to a matri-lady.
03:01 So they arranged in such a way that if a matri-lady, the mother accompanied the boy to the hospital
03:09 they would be safe and they would seek the medical attention.
03:17 Along with her also they called another auntie that she is a matri herself.
03:25 So these two ladies accompanied the boy, took them to the hospital.
03:33 I will come along with this also, I will tell you another this thing.
03:38 What happened is that the Assam Rifle major called the SP of Infal West to bring ambulance
03:48 because there was no ambulance available there.
03:51 He bought an ambulance and this SP of Infal West accompanied the ambulance to near about
04:01 Iroi Shemba, that is just another 10 minutes away from the hospital.
04:07 And what happened was that when they were about to reach the hospital, they were intercepted
04:13 halfway, that is the place called Iroi Shemba and there were lots of mobs.
04:21 This mob consisting of the boys and even the ladies called the Meera Pai base now.
04:28 They had become so vigilant, they would stop the ambulance suddenly and they were torched
04:35 to death, burned, set on fire the ambulance.
04:40 Your cousin and technically your mother in law.
04:46 So this is the extent to what these people are, the mobs are indulging in and specially
04:53 those ladies, I am so sorry to say, the Meera Pai base organization.
05:00 They have set out initially to work for social evils and also for the population welfare
05:11 of the whole Manipur and they bring a lady themselves.
05:17 I don't know why they did this.
05:19 It just set the ambulance on fire and eventually the only remains found was their skeletal
05:26 remains.
05:27 That was my uncle's story and from the same village where I have grown.
05:34 Kim, your parents are currently in refugee camps.
05:39 Yes, yes.
05:40 They are safe?
05:41 They are safe as of now.
05:45 What happened?
05:46 Why all this violence?
05:47 What happened according to you?
05:50 Since this has been brewing, I guess, for so long, it was going to come up.
05:57 What was brewing?
05:58 Spill over.
05:59 One day.
06:00 I guess this has been boiling and one day it was going to spill over and this finally
06:06 on 3rd May what happened, there was this rally going on in Churchandpur by the Kukizo community
06:16 just to register their protest against the SD demand made by the Mithi community.
06:23 It was a peaceful process.
06:26 It ended around afternoon and what happened that in that district, suddenly the problem
06:34 erupted.
06:40 The Mithi communities and our community started fighting and what happened was that when the
06:49 rally got over, these Mithi miscreants, there is one huge Anglo-Kuki wall there and I believe
07:03 they burned this gate down.
07:06 From there the reaction took place.
07:09 The Kuki community got angry and then another reaction, they started burning the houses
07:15 in and around there.
07:19 The Mithi houses by the Kuki.
07:22 First it was started by these Mithi miscreants who started burning the Anglo-Kuki wall of
07:28 the Kuki community, this thing, centenary wall that was kept there.
07:37 But that time it was still very, very localized and it was a small spark till then.
07:47 Why was it not controlled and why we have to go through this many days of problems till
07:56 now?
07:57 I feel if the CM was vigilant enough, when he cared enough, if he hadn't turned the other
08:07 way he could have contained there and there itself.
08:13 What is it for a CM to not able to do that?
08:17 He would have led his administrative, he could have taken a swift decision, sprung all his
08:25 administration into this thing.
08:28 Why he didn't do that?
08:31 Why was he inactive?
08:32 Did he do it purposely or was there any ulterior motive behind it?
08:38 That I don't know.
08:40 What is the core issue?
08:42 Is it because, is it a Hindu-Christian issue?
08:47 Not at all.
08:48 Not at all.
08:49 Absolutely, I agree to you.
08:50 So then what is this issue?
08:52 Is it because the Mithis wanted to be scheduled tribe?
08:55 Is that the problem that Kuki had?
08:57 And if that the problem, why?
08:58 Let the Mithis be.
08:59 That isn't a major issue because even they have the right to demand democratically what
09:09 they want to demand and we also have the right to even democratically protest.
09:16 So that happened.
09:17 But then this anger on our community has been unleashed by this Chief Minister of the head
09:27 of the state.
09:28 Do you know what?
09:29 How?
09:30 Why?
09:31 Why?
09:32 I don't know.
09:33 How?
09:34 There have been narratives going around, on and on he will come out and say the Kuki
09:44 Zo community are drug traffickers, poppy cultivators and also immigrants.
09:56 These are the things he kept saying on and off.
10:00 I feel he is so overconfident.
10:04 He thinks that he can get over by telling all these narratives and build up that kind
10:11 of hatred towards our community.
10:16 So let me ask you a question.
10:19 Poppy cultivation is real?
10:20 It's real.
10:21 I don't deny that.
10:22 So he says that.
10:24 So he says that.
10:25 So what's the problem?
10:26 The problem is that yes, we are involved in poppy cultivating, but who are the cultivators?
10:34 The cultivators are these poor farmers who are earning on a daily wages.
10:42 And can you just cultivate and throw away the poppy when you do this thing?
10:45 That is not this thing.
10:47 There's a huge business going on.
10:50 The business is there and who are the people involved?
10:53 There are a lot of people involved from the top to the bottom.
11:00 Actually in this, the business of it, all the communities are involved.
11:06 But even the politicians are also the ones running this cartel.
11:12 According to this police officer called Brinda, who investigated this matter, but was suppressed.
11:25 The matter was suppressed.
11:26 So what you're saying here is as far as poppy cultivation is concerned, there are a lot
11:29 more people involved.
11:30 Yeah, you just can't be cultivating and just keeping in there a lot of people who are involved
11:36 in distributing, selling, a lot of business involved in that.
11:42 Let me tell you, let me go to the next point that you raised.
11:45 This point about migration from Myanmar.
11:49 The Kuki ethnically, they're the same.
11:52 So their migration from Myanmar, does the local Kuki tribe support it, encourage it?
11:58 We don't really encourage as such.
12:02 But there could be some, I don't deny that there are none.
12:07 There could be some who are lending out their helping hand.
12:12 But that I feel is okay.
12:15 And let them go ahead if the government wants to, have proper rules and regulations for
12:20 these people.
12:22 The state doesn't even have that.
12:24 But he kept on terming us, tagging us as immigrants.
12:29 All these Kuki people, Kuki Zo people are all immigrants.
12:34 They are not indigenous people of Manipur.
12:36 This is what he kept calling us, our community singling out.
12:42 That's very unfair.
12:43 Obviously, who will take it?
12:44 So these things in the minds of the Kuki Zo community has been breathing.
12:49 You know, why?
12:51 This is what we have been saying in our minds.
12:54 Why, why, why all the time?
12:56 So these things are breathing.
12:57 This narrative is very provocative actually.
13:03 These are the narratives that he has been calling us this and that.
13:08 One is poppy cultivator, right?
13:10 Another is drug, another is immigrants and what not.
13:15 There are so many on and off.
13:16 He'll come up and he'll say, he'll even threaten us that he will declare war on us.
13:22 To the extent, to that extent, he's so confident.
13:27 Tell me, this valley, Imphal valley is predominantly dominated by the Mehdis.
13:33 Yes, yes.
13:34 And there are some Kuki Zo there.
13:36 Yes, yes.
13:37 And infrastructurally, Imphal is developed.
13:39 All infrastructure is there in the capital.
13:42 So how does the Kuki feel about it?
13:46 See we are also there, there are pockets of our colonies there in Imphal.
13:53 Why do we go there?
13:54 Because it's natural that anywhere in the city, people will migrate to the capital for
14:00 maybe for better educations, for better health facilities.
14:05 The things are there and most of our people are working in the state government.
14:11 Obviously, they will go there, settle there.
14:13 Otherwise, how will they serve?
14:15 They can't be coming down from hills daily to serve the government, right?
14:18 So many are settled there in terms of works or maybe are there for education.
14:23 We are there.
14:24 Kim, can I ask you a question?
14:27 And I want you to be, I want you to think about it.
14:30 You see, you are saying that Imphal valley, the Mehdis dominate.
14:35 The Mehdis says we can't come to the hills because we are not nomadic, we are not scheduled
14:40 tribe.
14:41 So we cannot come to the hills.
14:43 So they cannot come to the hills, but the Kukis can come to the valley.
14:47 So that's a problem.
14:49 That's their end of the story.
14:50 How would you address that?
14:53 I would say that they can come, definitely they can come.
14:58 It's just that they cannot buy land and settle there because we are protected under the article
15:02 of that country, 71C of the Indian constitution that is there.
15:08 Whatever it may be, the land pressure they are feeling, I feel instead of treating us
15:14 this way and chasing us out, if they feel, why can't we demand, why can't we talk it
15:21 out or why can't we do anything, settle all these problems through the leaders, no?
15:29 Talk it out, no?
15:32 Not in this way.
15:33 Chasing you out from where?
15:35 Chasing us all out from the Imphal valley.
15:39 The valley is clean of us.
15:42 None of us are around there.
15:44 All have gone to the hills.
15:49 Everything is all about that.
15:51 Ultimately, eventually, it's all because the problem is the land.
15:56 Land is the major issue.
15:58 That's why all these narratives are hurled against us.
16:02 These are the kind of things that they keep on calling us, but deep down, their idea is
16:10 that only, is the greed.
16:14 They want to, is the greed for land.
16:16 Even as a part of the Kuki community, how do you see Methis?
16:21 Personally, if you ask me, I have nothing against them because they are friends, they
16:26 are people.
16:28 Even my cousins are married to the Methis, even the Methi ladies are married.
16:33 I have grown up there.
16:35 I did my education till class six there.
16:38 So I have friends.
16:39 I have friends.
16:40 I still carry this baggage from long time ago, this very tag called How, H-A-O.
16:50 How?
16:51 How means, it's a word, it's a term used for all the tribal people in Manipura.
17:02 It's just not a simple word used for them, used by them.
17:08 But let me tell you, there is something behind this.
17:11 It's a derogatory term referring to these particular tribal people.
17:18 They look down on us.
17:21 They think they're more superior than us.
17:24 You faced it?
17:25 I have faced this.
17:27 My father, my parents have faced, my grandfathers have faced.
17:32 But my grandfather's forefathers have faced even worse, which is like, for example, small
17:38 little things.
17:39 Oh, like they touch you.
17:41 If you are physically in contact with them, they would say, "Mange, Mange".
17:49 "Mange, Mange" is a word.
17:53 You are unclean now.
17:59 These are the kind of baggage that we've been carrying in our psyche for so many years.
18:05 But it has become better for the past so many years.
18:10 But my parents had to go through this.
18:13 I also went through, but very subtly had become better.
18:16 But these are still the terms.
18:18 But when this happened, all these problems happened, you see this crowd running about,
18:28 chasing away colonies and what they're chanting, you know.
18:33 "Hang Maccha, Hau Thu, Hatlo".
18:37 These are the kind of slogans they say.
18:40 What does that mean?
18:42 It means, "Kill all these people.
18:46 Run.
18:47 Hang them.
18:49 Kill them.
18:51 Chase them away.
18:52 Hang Maccha, Hau Thu, Sakthu".
18:56 These are the terms, very bad terms.
18:59 And it still haunts me, you know, even today.
19:03 Those cry of people on the 4th of May.
19:08 These people ran about everywhere.
19:13 Crops of 20,000, 30,000 people, each colony burning houses, looting, churches burned.
19:28 See these are the kind of things, when the past 72 hours, starting from May, were the
19:33 maximum that happened from the Kuki Dzogh group.
19:39 Kim, I want to ask you another question.
19:42 This is a sensitive question, so you can choose not to answer this, if you don't have information
19:46 on this.
19:47 There are weapons, that both, Methis and even Kukis, both of them, they have weapons.
19:54 Where are these weapons coming from?
19:58 Initially what happened was that, there were no weapons around.
20:01 They were fighting with sticks, they're beating around the bush and all.
20:04 I don't know, suddenly, itna hatred ho gaya hai, they want to start killing I think.
20:10 So in the valley, what happened was that, this mob of 30-40 miscreants, they ran into
20:19 this police armoury and looted or handed over.
20:28 So round about 4000 plus sophisticated weapons and ammunitions.
20:35 Where do you get this information from?
20:38 It is all over, Sajid, you look into it.
20:42 Everybody is talking, it is there and it's because of that, they're attacking us using
20:46 that weapon.
20:47 But even Kukis used to be having weapons.
20:49 Yeah, Kukis must have also looted, I'm sure, but then the police stations in districts
20:54 are less and how much do you think the weapons will be there?
21:00 I don't think so in comparison to that.
21:03 Kim, if you want to speak to your Chief Minister and the Prime Minister, what would you want
21:08 to tell them?
21:12 This is for the Chief Minister.
21:13 Chief Minister, I would say, you have been so arrogant and attacking a particular community
21:23 like this and you should have control when the conflict was localised.
21:34 Why did you look the other way?
21:37 You could have done very well if you wished to.
21:40 There's nothing in your power that you can't do as a Chief Minister.
21:45 But because of that, we are going through so much now.
21:51 Look at the people of Manipur, how much sufferings we are going through right now.
21:55 It's all because of your inaction.
22:00 If you had, you would have.
22:03 You didn't do.
22:06 You think the Chief Minister didn't do enough?
22:08 Enough?
22:09 No, he never did anything.
22:10 He didn't do anything.
22:11 Tell me, do you think the Prime Minister should have visited Manipur at least once?
22:18 More than the Prime Minister, I would blame the state administration.
22:23 If they had taken care, why would we go knocking at the Prime Minister's door now?
22:29 We didn't need to.
22:31 It's because of that, it all started from there.
22:35 Because of inaction of the government, it went out of control.
22:39 So now we are seeking the Prime Minister's help.
22:43 Now that we are seeking, obviously, he has been late, but still I feel it's still good.
22:53 But yesterday he spoke out after that incident, the rape incident.
22:58 Why did it take him, if he had to do at all to speak up and to see all that crime?
23:05 Were you aware of such an act happening?
23:07 Very much, I will go on to that.
23:11 But I wanted the PM also, he should have spoken more, I feel.
23:16 He just concentrated on the rape cases incident, one of an incident type.
23:21 But he did not speak on the whole of how he will go about solving the problem.
23:29 How he never consoled the people of Manipur, what we had gone through for the past 70,
23:39 almost three months now.
23:41 So Kim, you think that such incidents like what happened on the 4th of May had happened
23:46 as in the parading of those girls?
23:49 Definitely, I will tell you, I will go on.
23:54 Yesterday's video was not one of a case.
23:58 There were many unreported cases like this also.
24:02 Rape cases happened so far as I know to the Kukizhav community, women only.
24:13 There were ladies, there were two young girls who were in Inphal working.
24:19 They have rented a place there in Inphal, working for their livelihood.
24:25 On that particular day, they were chased out, snatched, handed over to the mob to be raped.
24:35 They were raped and finally murdered.
24:38 Another was, there was one lady who, in a place called Uripok, that is in the heart
24:47 of the city.
24:49 She and her children were also murdered.
24:56 There are other rape cases as well, which are unreported.
25:03 Violence of any sort is unethical, isn't it?
25:06 Yeah, yeah, yeah.
25:07 Kim, my last question to you.
25:11 How do you think, how do you see life way forward from here?
25:20 See life for us, I don't see any life there.
25:28 It's the way we have been so bruised, so wounded and hurt.
25:35 Let me tell you, on that day, even the BJP minister was not safe.
25:46 Let me tell you another BJP MLA is in Delhi recuperating, paralyzed.
25:54 BJP MLA.
25:57 That day.
25:59 Another MLA was also not safe.
26:03 Why?
26:04 He kept calling, he just 5-10 minutes near the CM bungalow, that day happened, the mob
26:12 ran into his colony.
26:15 They wanted to burn his house.
26:17 And this, I believe, I was told that he kept calling the chief minister for help.
26:24 He never helped.
26:26 His house was burned down.
26:28 This is a minister in his cabinet.
26:32 And if these people were not safe, tell me, who will be safe?
26:36 Kim, these are stories that you've heard or these are stories that you know?
26:40 I know.
26:41 Look at the picture, it's all there.
26:43 Look at this MLA, he's still in hospital, he's paralyzed.
26:47 Look at his face.
26:49 They were beaten by this mob, all this Arampay Tengkol.
26:54 It's never going to be the same again.
26:57 The wounds are too, too deep, Sajid, I'm telling you.
27:00 It's too deep, it's going to take, even if it comes around, it's going to take generations.
27:06 We've been hurt.
27:07 We've been wounded so badly.
27:11 Very badly, very deep.
27:13 Kim, thank you so much for talking to me.
27:15 Thank you so much.
27:16 And thank you so much for being so candid.
27:19 Yeah.
27:20 Thank you.
27:21 My pleasure.
27:21 [music playing]
27:24 you