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 keeping in view Union Minister Amit Shah’s “deep concern to restore peace and harmony in the state and alleviate the plight of people in general”. They said the blockade would be lifted with immediate effect “to ensure uninterrupted supply of essential commodities in the state”. Haokip was one of the two signatories of the statement, along with UPF spokesperson Aaron Kipgen.

NH-2 is a critical lifeline of the state, connecting Imphal to Dimapur in Nagaland, and the blockade – which has been in place since violence first broke out on May 3 – had impacted the flow of essential supplies.

The decision to lift the blockade amid continuing violence did not go down well with sections of the Kuki-Zomi community. Following this, Haokip had released a message meant to be circulated in the community, stating that the decision was taken following a meeting of Kuki-Zomi elected representatives, civil society organisations, members of the SoO agreement and Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Assam CM and convener of the North East Democratic Alliance.

Haokip had written that they had been told to “extend an olive branch” by lifting the blockade “to put pressure on Meiteis to stop their offensive”, and “the singular purpose of the decision was to expedite talks for political settlement” in the form of separate administration for Kuki-Zomi territories.

However, Haokip said that while the attack “appears” to be a fallout of the decision, there could still be other reasons. He added that such an incident will not affect their decision on the blockade.

“It wasn’t done as a mob attack. It was done quietly in the night… When you’re on a peace offensive, you cannot back down over an individual or two trying to show dissent. Even if it’s mob action, it’s different,” he said.

The KNO is an umbrella group of 17 Kuki insurgents currently under the tripartite SoO agreement with the Manipur and central governments. Haokip, its president, is also the chairman of the Kuki National Army, one of the most influential Kuki insurgent groups.

This article was published on www.indianexpress.com