Churachandpur: The Kuki Students’ Organisation, General Headquarters (KSO-GHQ) is compelled to set the record straight regarding the recent allegation circulating in media and TV discussions: the Anglo-Kuki War: 1917-1919 Centenary Commemoration Gate at Leisang, Churachandpur was not burned. The claim that it was burned is a rumor or false propaganda spread on May 3, 2023, by the Kuki-Zo to ignite the current ethnic conflict. This allegation is totally false and represents an attempt to demonize the Kuki-Zo community.
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To understand the genesis of the current conflict, it is important to note that prior to the ATSUM’s call for a Tribal Solidarity March on May 3, 2023, against the majority Meitei demand for ST status, a conspiracy was hatched by a radical Meitei organization called Meitei Leepun to derail the proposed rally. Meitei Leepun called for a statewide bandh on May 2 and 3 to counter the rally; starting from May 2, 2023, tribal commuters, especially from the Kuki-Zo community, were harassed on highways by Meitei Leepun volunteers. Tribals from valley districts who traveled to their respective home districts in the hills to participate in the proposed rally were sent back or harassed in various forms. There was a prior incident involving Meitei Leepun shutting down the ATSUM office in Imphal, opposing ATSUM’s democratic demands to the state government. Finally, on May 4, 2023, the ATSUM office was vandalized by the same group.
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On May 3, 2023, after the Tribal Solidarity March, rallyists from Churachandpur who returned home were confronted by Meitei youths, allegedly affiliated with Meitei Leepun, in the Kangvai area bordering Churachandpur and Bishnupur valley district.
Moreover, the Anglo-Kuki War 1917-1919 Centenary Commemoration Gate at Leisang was indeed burned using old tires. While the Kuki-Zo community did not claim that the gate was reduced to ashes, some Meitei miscreants attempted to raze it to the ground and had started burning the gate using old tires. The perpetrators understood well that the gate is held dear by the Kuki-Zo people, and burning it would definitely provoke the community. When the gate’s pillar was set on fire with old tires, local Meitei TV news reporters were also present at the scene. The timely intervention of youths at the site extinguished the fire, and the gate remains intact and standing tall to serve its purpose.
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Prior to the conflict, the Meitei community had continuously pressured the state government to remove or dismantle the gate and any objects inscribed with “Anglo-Kuki War 1917-1919” for reasons best known to them. Intolerance toward others’ history and identity is one of the factors that have contributed to this situation.
(This is a press statement of Kuki Students’ Organisation, General Headquarters (KSO-GHQ) issued on October 3, 2024)
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