The ethnic clash that has been devastating Manipur since May, 2023 and remaining unabated has become the centre of both national and international attraction. Recently, the American Ambassador to India offered to extend help to displaced people in Manipur saying that there is no necessity for one to be an Indian to do such. Certain humanitarian activist from America with deep concern applied for visa to visit Manipur for spot study but denied as circulated on social media. As the days go by, and the confrontation between the ethnic communities lingers on under the rule of BJP both in the State of Manipur and in the Centre, India has to face more international embarrassments on the question of human and religious rights violations.
Father & Dr. Walter Fernande, Director, North Eastern Social Research Centre (NESRC), Guwahati was recently interviewed by senior Journalist Karan Thapar on the former’s article on Manipur violence published in Kolkata based paper The Telegraph dated 25.6.2023. Dr. Fernande claimed that “Manipur conflict is well-planned, funded and executed by people in power.” Dr. Fernande stated that people in power organised volunteers of about 200 who came by motor bikes with arms and ammunitions and destroyed the churches in particular under the guidance of local guides lest who would not know which were the churches. Dr. Fernandes refused to name who are those people in power both in the State and in the country except that they are ‘obvious’. Secondly, the Delhi based National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) led by its General Secretary Annie Raja with Advocate Deeksha Duivedi and NFIW national Secretary Nisha Sidhu landed in Imphal and indicted the Chief Minister of Manipur blaming that the violence in Manipur is “state-sponsored” as published in local papers dated 2.7.2023.
Meanwhile, the Manipur Police lodged an FIR against the three NFIW leaders based on the complaint lodged by one S. Liben Singh as published by local papers dated 10.7.2023. The complainant rejected the allegation of the riots and the violence in Manipur were State-sponsored as alleged by the NFIW.
Is it not baffling to come across stories like the mob seizing lethal weapons and ammunitions from two Manipur Police armories numbering 4537 arms with more than 6.32 lakh bullets? Of 4537 arms, 2900 are of sophisticated and lethal category. A source says that just only 18% of the seized arms was returned to Govt. When so, thousands of arms and huge amount of ammunitions are still with the public. For a soldier missing even a single bullet from his possession is serious and punishable under law not to speak of missing his gun. 3 months have passed since the broad daylight plunder of arms and ammunitions took place, and yet none have been booked those arsonists who looted or those Police personnel who failed to safeguard the Govt. property. Today the arsonists are obviously best armed with the seized arms and ammunitions. The Union H Hik Minister Amit Shah visited Manipur and stayed there for 2 days and yet nothing was heard post the visit pertaining to disciplinary and corrective measures. Amit Shah’s visit became a mere show since the conflict of violence remains unabated till date. And how the security forces became helpless spectators to rioters and arsonists who recklessly ransacked and burnt down churches and private properties across Imphal valley and beyond? The security lapses on the part of the State Govt. of Manipur in containing the law and order situation are of unrivaled precedents to say the least. Till the Meitei rioters’ seizure of the two Kuki women victims from Police and paraded them naked and then gang raped became viral in social media followed by hue and cry of the Opposition parties across India, nothing was done to book those perpetrators except after 77 days of the incident. The reaction of the Chief Minister of Manipur to the question as to why the BJP Govt. in Manipur failed to book the Meitei perpetrators was just a bizarre when he said that many of such similar instances have been there and therefore the internet was banned. That implies that the Meiteis can commit crimes against the Kukis and the churches of Christians but those crimes should not be exposed by media through the internet.
As per the brief highlights, there has been lawlessness, complete absence of semblance of governance and the undeniable tacit understanding between the BJP Govt. and the Meitei rioters. Had the BJP Govt. been impartial and free from malice, every culprit should have been booked on time. On the contrary, the administration simply watched the criminal and repressive actions against the Kukis and the Meitei Christians in which the Police virtually coordinated. By the statement of the rape victims saying that they were handed over by the Police to the mob, such connivance cannot be denied. Despite the total collapse of the governance, the Union Govt. has no botheration to fix the constitutional responsibility on the State Govt. Is it irrational for one to conclude that the long felt desire of the BJP to cleanse the ethnic Kukis-cum-routing out Christianity from Imphal valley was executed under the leadership of the Chief Minister N. Biren Singh who should complete the process for which he has to be retained in the chair? Will the Centre ever tolerate such vengeful ministry if it is a non-BJP govt. for even 24 hours?
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February, 2022, the Ukrainian women were gang raped, people were paraded naked and their villages and cities were destroyed. All those atrocities so committed by Russian army against the land and the people of Ukraine is called war. Similar nature of crimes are being committed by Meiteis against the Kukis and the Christians in Manipur and we called it the ethnic clash as though the magnitude of the merciless killings, the destruction of the properties, the displacement of thousands of people, the devastation of their livelihood and the heinous crimes committed against humanity particularly the Kukis and the Meitei Christians failed to merit the vocabulary ‘war’. Who has planned and ignited the ethnic cleansing and whose program is this drive against Christianity in Manipur? Whose philosophy is this to incite a community against another community in the NE India by sowing the seed of hatred? It is obvious. The BJP Govt. headed by Biren Singh is being used to burn down Manipur State. Who has gained in this game of hatred? The Union Govt. has gained international embarrassments and the badly dented secular credentials before the world.
Meanwhile, quoting the statement of the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in his joint Press briefing during his recent visit (June 20-24, 2023) to America with counterpart Joe Biden, President of America as published in local paper dated 28.6.2023, “India is a democracy. And as President Biden said democracy is in our DNA of both India and America. Democracy is in our spirit. Democracy flows in our veins. We live democracy. Our forefathers moulded it in words, which we call the Constitution. Our Government runs on the fundamental principles of this Constitution. We have proved that democracy can deliver. When I say deliver it means there is no place for discrimination on the grounds of caste, creed, gender, religion.” What the Prime Minister of India stated in his press briefing is the essence of secularism contained in the Constitution of India. Had the very statement been translated on ground, there would never have been chasm between different religions on the basis of majority and minority, indigeneity and alien or caste hierarchy. Had there been no discrimination on the grounds of caste, creed and religion, there would have been adequate sense of security of the religious minorities, and there would have been unity in diversity in India. Had the elected Govts. been upholding the spirit of democracy, I believe, the ethnic clash in Manipur would never have been erupted or even when erupted it would have been controlled by now. Theoretically aspiring to be the champion of nation building and practically weakening the national integration is self deception.
As a Christian myself, I feel hurt when the Churches in Imphal valley were selectively desecrated and destroyed. In the process, the Meitei Christians and their Churches were not spared too. The Meitei Hindu offensive is found to be of two pronged attacks, one is the ethnic cleansing against the Kukis and its Christianity, and the other is to rout out the Meitei Christians from Meitei dominated areas. In the melee, Theological colleges were also reportedly destroyed. It is reportedly known that within 36 hours of violence that broke out, not less than 249 Churches belonging to both Kukis and Meiteis were destroyed. It is reliably learnt that a total of 356 Churches were destroyed of which 254 belonged to Meiteis and the rest 102 Churches belonged to Kukis and others. I happened to listen to a displaced Christian from Imphal recently. The victim said that he received a phone call by which he was warned to get out of his house immediately lest he could become a victim. Accordingly and without delay, he left with his family and took shelter in a safer place. The moment he left his house, the arsonists numbering not less than 200 came with vehicles and firstly loaded those vehicles with the movable household properties from his house and then set fire to his house. Such narration points to a well planned and premeditated action against the Christians by Meiteis. Is this a litmus test of theocracy in Manipur?
When the ethnic clash erupted, not only the Kukis became the victims but Meiteis too lost lives in the hand of the retaliators. Today, thousands of Manipuri Kukis have been displaced and they are now refugees in neighboring States. The future of the school/college going children of the displaced families is a serious matter of concern as those are compelled to forgo an academic session. Whereas, many of them may never be able to rejoin school/college.
Nevertheless, the Living God cannot be mocked as written in the book of Galatians 6:7 in the Holy Bible. Be it an organisation or be it an authority, when the Almighty God Jehovah is mocked the ultimate consequence is fetched. For instance, the British businessman by the name Thomas Andrews who designed the Titanic ship which was greater than any other ship at that time was asked once by a News reporter as to how the ship was as safe as he believed. He said, “Even God couldn’t sink it.” When the Titanic first set sail, it got sunk by hitting an iceberg on 15th April, 1912. Thomas Andrews too perished along with 1500 passengers at the age of 39 years. Some 24 years ago, specifically the Hinduism fanatics led by Dara Singh burnt the Evangelist and philanthropist Graham Staines from Australia and his two minor sons to death inside their vehicle in Manoharpur Village in Keonjhar Disstrict, Odisha on 23rd January, 1999. Only the Living God knows, and I do not know anything how on 29th October, 1999 the super cyclone known as Pradip cyclone hit Odisha which killed several thousands of people and caused damages to properties worth $4.44 billion as found in the record.
I am nobody to scare anyone by citing the said instances. My wish is, despite destroying hundreds of churches, killing Christians, destroying and plundering the properties of Christians and displacing them, may God show mercies to those aggressors for they know not what they do. Yet, there has to be realisation. This madness against the Christians, a religious minority in India under the patronage of BJP, be it in Manipur or elsewhere has to be stopped. As much religious rights the Hindus have to enjoy their faith that much amount of rights the Christians too have to enjoy our religion as provided in the Constitution of India. Therefore, in the eye of the law of the country, everyone is equal irrespective of color or from where one hails either from the plain or from the hills or from majority or from minority.
Whatever may be the circumstances, the Christians are taught not to avenge ourselves. The Living God says “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay” as in Romans 12:19 of the Bible. The Christians must forgive those aggressors just as Mrs. Gladys Staines, wife of late Graham Staines forgave the killer Dara Singh in the law court. While India remained relatively quiet despite all such inhuman atrocities against the Kukis in particular, the European Union Parliament in Strasbourg, France passed resolution urging Indian authorities to promptly halt the ethnic and religious violence in Manipur. The message of the EU Parliament is clear that India as a democracy must walk the talk, and that human rights violation and religious intolerance in India under BJP’s rule has to be stopped. The BJP believes that Christianity can be routed out from India or Manipur through the destruction of their establishments, physical elimination, threats and intimidations. Impossible. The Living God can never be defeated by any power in the universe. If the Christians in Manipur are not protected by the Union Govt. of India, the stronger supports will come from somewhere else. If the mighty Modi Govt. goes on to decimate Christianity in India, the Living God will raise millions of worshippers of Jehovah in India.
The prevailing situation in Manipur is the challenge to every Christian. Despite our anger against the perpetrators, let us show our magnanimity by forgiving them emulating what the Savior Jesus Christ has said in Luke 23:34 “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Let us leave everything to the Loving God to take care. I have hope that Christianity will thrive where people hate it as there are enough stones to cry out and glorify God (Like 19:40). –
