Indian-Americans hold protests against Manipur violence in 3 US states
Indian-Americans and allies held protests in US states of California, New Jersey, and Massachusetts throughout the weekend to condemn the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur, which has left hundreds of people dead and thousands displaced. The protests were in part a response to a horrific video last week, showing two young tribal women being paraded naked while being molested by a group of men in the violence-hit state. In California, Indian-Americans and allies gathered on the steps of Oakland City Hall for a protest organised by several advocacy groups, including the North American Manipur Tribal Association (NAMTA), Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), and Ambedkar King Study Circle. “They chased us out of our homes. They burned our homes, our properties. They looted, they killed, they raped, they immolated, they beheaded, they’ve left us broken and everything we own reduced to ashes,” said Niang Hangzo, founding member of NAMTA. “This is the butchery being done to the Kuki-Zomi… How long will the world stay silent? We want the House to bring this issue and discuss it like the EU (Parliament) has done.” T he European Parliament had adopted a resolution earlier this month, calling on Indian authorities to take “all necessary” measures to stop the violence
Snatched from cops and lynched: Traumatic accounts spill out of violence-hit Manipur
We are in the dark about what the police and the other government agencies are doing about the Hanglalmuan’s murder, says father of the youth Manipur’s horror accounts are piling up as bereaved citizens summon the courage to speak up. Hanglalmuan Vaiphei, 21, was picked up for sharing a Facebook post in Manipur by police who got his incarceration extended by producing back-to-back FIRs. The youth was then beaten to death by a mob who snatched him from custody, his relatives told The Telegraph on Monday. Hanglalmuan, son of a daily wage earner, was picked up from his home in Thingkangphai village in Churachandpur district on the night of April 30. The young man bled to death on the roads of Imphal, around 60km from his home, on May 4, a day after clashes broke out in Manipur. “No one from the police got in touch with us
Master of the Forked Tongue, Modi Has Failed to Address Manipur Violence
Modi is a master of denial, but more alarmingly, he mobilises and leads a violent mob, attacking those who seek justice and merely want to discuss the issues. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, once again, revealed the vileness of the politics he represents and has become synonymous with. It would be incorrect to say that he broke his silence on the majoritarian violence in Manipur. In fact, in his dog-whistle style, he instigated his supporters to target opposition-ruled states, accusing them of not acting against sexual violence cases. He conveyed to his followers that they need not recognise the violence faced by the people of Manipur or feel guilty; instead, they should go on the offensive against the opposition. Following his statement, BJP leaders and his social media army began attacking Congress leaders, questioning why they weren’t speaking out against violence towards women in Congress-ruled states. This, when the world was shocked by the images of mass brutality that the Kuki women were subjected to. The issue of nearly three months of majoritarian violence faced by Manipur’s Kuki people was overshadowed and reduced to a matter of violence against women. Such violence is an everyday reality for women across all states in India and
At least 400 acts of violence committed against Christians in India in first half of 2023: report
The first half of 2023 has seen a surge in violence against Christians across 23 states in India, according to a New Delhi-based human rights group, which identified 400 incidents, up from 274 reported over the same period last year. The majority of these violent acts occurred in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, with 155 incidents, according to the report released by the United Christian Forum and shared with The Christian Post. Chhattisgarh ranked second with 84 cases, followed by Jharkhand with 35, and Haryana with 32. The districts of Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh and Bastar in Chhattisgarh reported the most cases of violence, with 13 and 31 incidents, respectively. According to UCF’s findings, the number of violent incidents against Christians has been rising steadily in India since 2014, with a significant spike observed in 2021 and 2022. The group also noted in its statement that the month of June saw the highest number of attacks against the Christian community, averaging three incidents per day. The UCF expressed grave concerns over the situation in the northeastern state of Manipur, where the ongoing violence has resulted in the loss of at least 130 lives and caused the destruction of over 400 churches. Amid these atrocities, the
Manipur Violence: Supreme Court grants interim protection in sedition case against lawyer who accompanied fact-finding team
The lawyer moved the Court contending that the FIR was based a press release that she did not sign, and that the contents of the said press release were not seditious. The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted interim protection to a lawyer who was charged with sedition after she accompanied a fact-finding team to enquire into the recent violence in Manipur [Deeksha Dwivedi v. State of Manipur & Anr]. The Court ordered that no coercive action be taken against the lawyer, advocate Deeksha Dwivedi. The interim order was passed after the matter was mentioned before a bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and Manoj Misra by Senior Advocate Siddhartha Dave. In her plea before the top court, Dwivedi submitted that she had accompanied a two-woman team from the National Investigation Forum for Women (NIFW) as an independent lawyer and observer. The NIFW team is stated to have concluded that certain violent incidents in Manipur were State-sponsored. A press conference was held at Imphal on July 1 after the enquiry, and a press release was also issued on the team's findings. Following this, a first information report (FIR) was registered against Dwivedi and NIFW representatives for sedition, defamation, making assertions
Majority Hindu Tribe in India’s Manipur Blockades Christian Tribes to Starve Them Out
The Times of India (TOI) reported on Monday that a blockade on food and medical supplies by the valley-dwelling Hindu majority of the Manipur province is starving the hill-dwelling Kuki Christian tribes, thousands of whom have been displaced from their homes into refugee camps. Manipur has been torn by violent ethnic conflict since May when the Meitei launched a petition to acquire the same preferences in employment and land ownership that are extended to the Kuki and other minority groups in the province. This enraged the tribal residents as the Meitei are much larger and better off than other ethnic groups, and they occupy most of the good lowlands in Manipur. Ethnic grievances erupted into violent assault and vandalism, and Manipur became a hot topic in Indian politics as opposition leaders accused the ruling BJP party of not doing enough to restore peace, perhaps because BJP has a Hindu nationalist platform and favors the Meitei villagers. The Kukis and Meiteis both created highway blockades to deprive each other of resources, a tactic that has been used in previous ethnic clashes because there are few good roads leading into the rough terrain of Manipur. Blockades during a Kuki-Meitei struggle in 2011 effectively cut the
Intense firing reported in two Manipur districts
Firing incidents were reported in two areas of Manipur on Wednesday at around 4:30 am. The previous incident of intermittent firing between the communities took place on July 4, in the evening. Intense firing was reported in certain areas of Manipur in the early hours of Wednesday. The firing began at around 4:30 am, specifically in the Kangpokpi district and Bishnupur district, according to news agency PTI. No casualties have been reported so far. The previous incident of intermittent firing between two communities took place on July 4, between 7 and 8 pm, reported PTI, quoting security officials. The exchange of gunfire stopped after this period, and no casualties were reported. Earlier, on the morning of July 4, a group of armed miscreants made an attempt to loot weapons from the India Reserve Battalion (IRB) located in a village in Manipur's Thoubal district. A 27-year-old man was killed in the clash between the miscreants and security officials, and an Assam Rifles jawan was shot at. The mob tried to storm the camp of an India Reserve Battalion in the Khangabok area to loot arms and ammunition, they said. Soon, a clash with the forces broke out. The forces tried to bring the situation under control and
India’s top court seeks ‘status report’ on Manipur riots
Church leaders say it is 'a targeted attack to erase Christianity' in the hilly northeastern state The top court in India has sought a status report on the sectarian strife in the northeastern Manipur state, which has claimed some 120 lives since May 3. The Supreme Court on June 3 asked the Manipur state government to file an “updated status report” on the “situation on the ground,” giving specific details on rehabilitation, recovery of arms, and improving the law and order situation in the hilly state which has been hit by ethnic violence between tribal Christians and majority Hindus. The Manipur Tribal Forum, one of the petitioners, informed the court that some 120 people have been killed since the violence started over awarding special tribal status to Hindu Meitei people to get priority in government jobs, education, and other affirmative action programs meant for the indigenous people. “The situation in Manipur has worsened,” senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, representing the forum, informed the top court. Several militant groups are openly calling for the annihilation of indigenous people, especially the tribal Kukis, a majority of them Christians staying in the hilly districts, Gonsalves added. Gonsalves accused the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Pary (BJP) state government of inaction against the
Manipur violence: Cannot back down during peace offensive, says Kuki leader whose home was torched after decision to lift highway blockade
Seilen Haokip's home was set on fire a day after the KNO and the United People's Front announced that the blockade on National Highway 2 in Kangpokpi district will be lifted. Seilen Haokip told The Indian Express that the incident took place around 11-11:30 pm and that no one was home at that time. The home of Kuki National Organisation (KNO) spokesperson Seilen Haokip was set on fire in Manipur’s Churachandpur on Monday night. This came a day after the KNO and the United People’s Front announced that the blockade on National Highway 2 in Kangpokpi district will be lifted. Haokip’s house is located in Songpi in Churachandpur district. While there have been multiple instances of properties of Meitei representatives being torched by members of the Meitei community in parts of the valley, especially Imphal, this is the first prominent instance of a Kuki-Zomi leader’s residence being targeted in a Kuki-Zomi dominated area. Haokip told The Indian Express that the incident took place around 11-11:30 pm and that no one was home at that time. On Sunday, the KNO and UPF – both of which come under a Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement – said that the decision to lift the highway blockage was taken
Manipur violence: Kuki National Organisation spokesperson’s house set on fire in Churachandpur
A house of a Kuki leader was set on fire in strife-torn Manipur as the state witnessed another wave of violence on Monday (July 3). The incident was part of a new spate of violence that occurred on Monday in the Kangpokpi area located under the Thingsat hill range. (File Photo) By India Today News Desk: The house of Kuki National Organisation spokesperson Seilen Haokip in Churachandpur’s Songpi was set on fire by some unknown miscreants on Monday (July 3). Selien Haokip was one of the leaders who had raised his voice for the lifting of the blockade on National Highway 2 in Kangpokpi. The incident was part of a new spate of violence that occurred on Monday in the Kangpokpi area located under the Thingsat hill range. According to sources, an exchange of gunfire was also witnessed in Phaileng village during the early hours of Monday, escalating the atmosphere of fear and uncertainty in the strife-torn state. Meanwhile, expressing concern over the law and order situation in Manipur, the Supreme Court has sought a detailed status report from the state government on the measures taken to curb ethnic violence in the state. The Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and
