Manipur Insurgent Leader Seeks Peace Coalition in Delhi

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NEW DELHI: Former chairman of Manipur’s oldest insurgent group United National Liberation Front, Rajkumar Meghen, is in Delhi to meet prominent academics, lawyers and activists from Manipur in a bid to create a coalition to work towards peace in the strife torn state and rebuild the “idea of Manipur” that he said has its foundation in “interdependent coexistence”. He urged govt to take steps towards economic integration of Kuki and Meitei communities to build trust between those residing in the hills and the valley. Meghan who arrived in Delhi on July 3 said he has already met members of Naga and Meitei community and said that he is open to meeting Kuki members “if they are willing”. The outreach gains significance as it comes in the backdrop of the abduction and brutal killing of six Naga civilians whose bodies were recovered in June triggering widespread outrage. Suggesting the involvement of “external forces - non-state actors from outside India” in the violence, Meghen referred to the poor manning of the Indo-Myanmar border resulting in influx of illegal immigrants entering and overwhelming Kuki tribal areas in the hills and that these people have been joining the Kuki armed conflict groups. “Infact, Thanglianpau Guite, the President of the ZRA is a former member of Parliament of Myanmar and as reported in the media the Indian citizenship he acquired is under scrutiny,” he added. He further claimed that many illegal immigrants - the Chin -Kuki -Zo from Myanmar come into Manipur and get the domicile documents made illegally to become part of the native community. Meghen claimed that the changing demographics of the Kuki population in the state will become evident in Census 2027 as the numbers have significantly increased. Claiming that the govt, particularly the Centre has failed to do the needful towards confidence building to stop violence and alleging a “lack of political will”, Meghen said that just taking security measures like deploying CRPF’s Commando battalions will not solve the problem. Infact, he highlighted that "buffer zones" heavily-guarded no-man's strips established by central security forces between Meitei-dominated valley areas and Kuki-Zo hill districts are restrictive and turning into hardened de facto borders. “Since 1949 no govts in Delhi (union govt) and Manipur have evolved any policy on how the communities in the state should be integrated into interdependent coexistence. The most important thing for that to happen is to develop an interdependent economy where the hills and the valleys can come together for coexistence. Security is a critical responsibility of the state but it is crucial to build a climate of trust - silently, with sincerity and honesty so that community leaders can talk,” he added. Violence in Manipur erupted in May 2023 and the state remains in crisis. The violence has claimed over 260 lives. “The violence has taken a toll on both sides - Meitei and Kuki...and 65,000 persons have been rendered homeless as internally displaced people,” he said, adding that the recent killings of Nagas show that the conflict has acquired the character of multilateral conflict. Meghen’s visit to Delhi comes after 2010, when he was brought to Delhi as part of the investigation after he was handed over to India following his arrest in Bangladesh. He was later sentenced to 10 years imprisonment under UAPA and placed in Guwahati jail from where he was released in 2019. His sentence was commuted by about 10 months owing to his good conduct.