The Manipur Tribunal Forum has moved the Supreme Court by way of a fresh Interlocutory Application, alleging that both the Union government as well as the Chief Minister of Manipur, were ‘jointly’ working on a ‘communal agenda’ for ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Kukis.
The Forum further alleged that the Kukis were being ethnically cleansed by an armed communal organisation and sought deployment of the Indian Army to protect the tribe.
It recalled the assurances given by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta during the previous hearing and said that despite the affirmation, over 81 Kukis were killed, 237 Churches and 73 administration buildings or quarters were burnt and 141 villages were destroyed. This further led to displacement of 31410 Kukis from their homes.
The IA contended that the assurances given by the authorities were empty and meaningless. They were made in a non-serious fashion and not even intended to be implemented. It further claimed that the tribals did not trust the state and its police force.
It urged the Apex Court to direct the Indian Army to take full control of law & order and public order in the districts of Churachanpur, Chandel, Kangpokpi, Impal East and Imphal west.
The forum further expressed disappointment with the assurances given by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and said that instead of mechanically repeating the assurances given in other situations at other times, the Union Minister must convince the Manipur tribals with his ‘sincere’ efforts.
Further expressing no-confidence with the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) constituted by the Centre under the head of former Gauhati HC CJ Ajai Lamba, the forum demanded quashing of the CoI. It further sought replacement of the Inquiry Commission by a single-member commission comprising former Delhi High Court Chief Justice and Law Commission chairperson, A.P. Shah.
The application claimed that the ‘clash’ between the Meiteis and Kukis, as portrayed in the media, was far from the truth as the two communities have co-existed with each other despite their differences.
As per the forum, the ‘clash’ narrative, as depicted in the media, camouflaged the presence of two groups behind all the attacks and rendered them immune from prosecution, emboldening them to carry on further attacks.
It alleged that all the attacks were carried out by Arambai Tenggol, a group having the support of state machinery and Meitei Leepun, an organisation with the Meitei nationalist agenda. The forum demanded registration of FIR against Kourounganba Khuman head of Arambai Tenggol and President of the Meitei Leepun, M. Pramot Singh.
The application submitted that unless the members of these groups and their leaders were arrested and prosecuted, any semblance of peace would remain fragile.
Seeking cold storage and immediate autopsy of dead bodies piling in the state, the IA claimed that the relief camps set up in Manipur were inadequate.
The application alleged that senior politicians at the Centre and the state were involved in drug trade and constantly making allegations against destitute cultivators.
Filed through Advocate Satya Mitra and drawn by Advocates Hetvi Patel and Kaoliangpou Kamei, the application claimed that the drug trade was controlled by the politicians in power at the state and that the Central government knew about it.
The forum said it was providing testimonies of four victims of violence in the state, alleging that the law and order situation in the state was not improving as it was still in the hands of the state government, which was being run by Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh, who belonged to the dominant community.
It sought establishment of an SIT to independently investigate and prosecute those responsible for the assaults on the tribal community in Manipur.
The application also demanded joint reparation from the Union of India and the state of Manipur to be paid to the next of kin of the tribals killed in the assaults.