Manipur: A lab for many study groups

Witoubou Newmai

All rave reviews have to say about Manipur situations are that, they continue to remain an oasis of interest amidst the chaos. Even as cataclysmic events are shaping the social landscape of Manipur, however, for all the myriads of issues confronting the society in this small state, we concur that, there are such plethora of organisations, too, behind the issues. 

At the height of the interest is about the scenario where each group or organisation seems to be fighting against the other, while in the same time, there is no group or organisation that is not aligning with its “rival” groups, again, when it comes to certain issues. So, from top or bottom, it is quite a task to draw a definite graph on who is confronting or aligning with whom. All that we need to say is about the perplexities, their connectivity and disconnect. 

Thanks to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, today, all the organisations, irrespective of communities, have been voicing in chorus against the Bill. 

The Meitei based United Committee, Manipur (UCM), All Manipur United Clubs Organisation (AMUCO) and Committee of Civil Societies of Kangleipak (CCSK); Kuki based Kuki Inpi, Manipur (KIM) and Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO); and the Naga based United Naga Council (UNC) have already stated their respective positions against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB). In other words, the valley and the hills, or say, the tribals and the Meiteis, have joined hands against the Bill.

Interestingly, amid this voice of unison against the CAB, the tribal student organisations under the banner of All Tribal Students’ Union, Manipur (ATSUM) had just called hill protest against the Meiteis demand for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status on January 29. On the eve of calling the protest, i.e. on January 28, the ATSUM had asserted that it would oppose “tooth and nail against the agendas” of the Meitei community's Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee of Manipur (STDCM). Following this call of the apex tribal student body, protests of different forms were carried out the next day in the hills. It is likely that the protests, both against and pro on the Meiteis’ ST status demand, and the CAB, will entwine and prevail in Manipur for some more times.

Both the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and Meiteis’ ST status demand issues have tailed the Manipur University imbroglio. In the latter issue, too, there was wide gap between the hills and the valley as their respective student bodies pitched against the other while asserting their interests.

When it comes to the assertions made by Naga organisations such as the United Naga Council (UNC), All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM) etc., etc. with regards to the Naga political issue, the Meitei based organisations spearheaded by United Committee, Manipur, All Manipur United Clubs Organisation and Committee of Civil Societies of Kangleipak are already there with all out efforts to confront the former. The Kuki organisations, while campaigning for the ‘kuki homeland’ or Zale’n-gam, are fervently thwarting the Naga political campaign. Zale’n-gam is also translated into 'Land of Freedom', is a proposed state for all the “Kuki tribes under one government” in the future. To compound the situation, the Meitei community is against the Kukis’ Zale’n-gam campaign, as the former stands on the agenda of ‘Manipur integrity’.

For all these peculiarities, Manipur is a laboratory for many study groups.