Archdiocese of Imphal

Since 03 May 2023, unprecedented violence and unrest has taken the State of Manipur like a storm. The Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Imphal, Manipur is pained, saddened and most of all concerned at the situation that has unfolded. Precious lives have been lost, houses burned or destroyed, belongings vandalized and looted, places of worship desecrated and set ablaze. Thousands have been displaced and rendered homeless and are languishing in different shelters in military barracks and relief camps. Many have left the capital Imphal and the State to safer places. Summarily, there is fear, uncertainty and a general sense of hopelessness and desperation.

1. Circumstances

Several issues have been waiting unresolved for a long time, gradually building up emotions and general angst.

1. The demand of the Meitei community to be listed as a Schedule Tribe (ST) and vehement opposition of the Tribals to this demand. The endorsement and support expressed by many the Meitei political leaders and MLAs
2. The opposition spearheaded by the tribal student organizations and CSOs.
3. The recommendation of the High Court of Manipur to the State government to recommend the demand of the Meitei community to the Central Government and subsequent dissent and condemnation by various tribal groups
4. The initiation of the State Government to survey the Reserved Forests, Protected Forests and Conserved Forests objection of the tribals to such a survey on the grounds that the designation of such categories of forests do not have the consent of the HAC (Hill Area Committee).
5. Eviction and displacement of villages in the Forest lands (most of which are Kuki inhabited villages) which have angered the communities.
6. Recent alleged derogatory preaching of Pastor Ramananda and subsequent pledging of a section of Meitei community to protect their indigenous culture and religion.

“This cannot just happen unless it was premeditated and planned.”

All these issues in some ways are interconnected and mixed, resulting in playing into the sentiments of the people. The final point of eruption seems to be:

1. The destruction of the Open Gymn and the venue of the CM’s visit to Churachandpur, angered by the eviction of villages,
2. The Tribal Solidarity Rally of May 03, 2023 which turned violent mainly in Churachandpur area.
3. With the news and rumours of violent clashes in Churachandpur area spreading like wildfire, the Meiteis in Imphal began their hunt for persons of Kuki origin or lineage. The clashes are between the Meitei community and the Kuki-chin-mizo community of people.
4. Destruction to Catholic Church and Institutions

Extensive destruction to private homes and property have been inflicted on both sides. Vandalism and looting of properties in broad daylight is the uneasy order of the day in many pockets. Along with private properties many churches have been the target of attack in many parts of the valley region. Unconfirmed numbers of the destroyed (mostly burnt) churches are more than 40 churches.

The Catholic Church and its institutions have suffered the fury of the mob in at least 8 places:

St. Paul’s Parish and Pastoral Training Centre (PTC):

St. Paul’s Parish located in Sangaiprou, Imphal is a parish which has its members from all ethnic communities of Manipur such Meiteis, Kabui, Tangkhul, Paite, etc. In the same campus is the Pastoral Training Centre where lay catechists have been receiving training for many years.

On 3rd May, 2023, around 8.30 pm a mob came by and began smashing and destroying the church and the properties therein. Windowpanes, doors, Interior of the church, statues, crucifix, sound system, musical instruments, etc. and whatever was in the church were smashed and the altar set on fire. They also came inside PTC, which housed altogether 46 inmates (4 Priests, 37 trainees, one animator, one hostel warden, 3 domestic staff and sought the identity of the inmates. After identifying the inmates and verifying their identity, they set the Motor cycle on fire and left the place. The fire in the church was brought under control somehow.

Destroyed (mostly burnt) churches 40.

The group returned after a while, the administration reasoned with them, identifying themselves as Director and Assistant Director with ID proof again. They left a second time.

They returned the third time with few women who intervened not to do further harm to the institution. At their insistence they checked every room of the house. And having satisfied themselves that there are no Kuki individuals in the house, they left.

The next day, 4th May 2023, around 10.00 A.M. a mob barged in again. The inmates were asked to identify themselves. After verification for multiple time, they left, finding no persons they apparently were looking for.

At around 2.00 pm in the afternoon, they walked into the church, collected the cooking gas cylinders from the kitchen of the PTC, and after piling up all the pews and valuables they smashed, looted, and burnt both the Church and the PTC building.

All this time no security cover was provided. Even the police team who were there earlier before the mob arrived were nowhere to be seen. All SOS calls to Emergency Nos. 100 and 112 without any response. Even after the first instance of attack, there was no security deployment leaving it vulnerable for further attacks and eventual destruction.

III.   Situation of the people

Two communities are warring but it has affected all the people of Manipur irrespective of which community one belongs. With the complexity of issues that has given rise to this situation, there seems to be no clear-cut reason for the present crisis.

Many lives have been lost. What the newspapers are giving are the confirmed cases but there are much more lives lost then are officially published. The violent activities in the peripheries outside the capital city are very much under reported. Shutting of internet data connectivity has made it difficult to spread the actual information as all media platforms were disabled. There are however reports of many villages/hamlets in the foothills that have been vandalized, looted and torched. Thousands have fled their homes and have reached some shelter camps.

Why is it that vulnerable places even after attempted attacks were left unguarded?

The magnitude of loss which has run to hundreds of crores is hard to comprehend. Many people especially the student community have been forced to move out of Imphal, the State capital. The central armed forces are assisting the State government in maintenance of law and order. It is hard to say if the State forces were outnumbered or overwhelmed with SOSs or if they were complicit. The absence of the security personnel in places where they were most needed raises questions that are unsettling. If there was sincerity, why was it that not even in one place of attack were the state force able to prevent things from running amuck for prolonged time. Why is it that vulnerable places even after attempted attacks were left unguarded?

IV.   Observation

1. The excuse for attack on the places were that there were shielding the Kukis. Even after verifying the identity of the inmates with ID cards, (in some cases multiple times), and intruding into every room in the house and ascertaining that those they were looking for were not to be found, the mob still attacked.
2. Churches which had no relation to the present conflict became casualties of the present unrest. The fact that some sections of the people have attacked the churches with deliberate motive cannot be ruled out. Many churches belonging to Meitei Christians were also burnt in several places. Claims were made that the churches were attacked as part of revenge for the destruction of a Meitei place of worship in some parts of the State. However, the number of attacks on churches that had nothing to do with the conflict indicates the strong and active involvement of some fanatical groups in the pretext of preservation of Meitei customs, cultures, tradition and indigenous religion.
3. The multiple attack on the churches and hostels with relentless intent is disturbing.
4. The modus operandi in most of these attacks were that the attackers first tried to loot the house and then set it on fire. In places where the houses were not set on fire, the people were vandalizing and looting at will for days.
5. Organized attack as this cannot just happen unless it was premeditated and planned. While the violence engulfed the State like a storm, the attacks seemed well planned. The targets of attack also smacked of fanatic elements out to disrupt the existence of Christianity, in the pretext of preservation of culture.

VI.   Present Status

1. There is uneasy calm prevailing in the Imphal city.
2. Many of the stranded/displaced persons who were secured in the military barracks have been shifted out of the camps.
3. Relief and shelter camps have been opened in different localities within Imphal for affected Meitei communities coming from affected hill areas.
4. Community members are engaged in relief work activities.
5. It appears that situation in Imphal city will continue to be fairly calm but uncertainty and fear has sunk deep.
6. Healing process will take time. But who will initiate the healing/peace process?
7. The government of the day cannot shun responsibility and shed off culpability.
8. The situation is volatile. There is unspoken mistrust amongst all the communities of the State.
9. The Church must go slow and assess the situation and refrain from too hasty decisions which can give room for being considered as biased. The church must maintain neutrality and foster peace and unity.
10. Relief for the people who have been displaced/affected is an urgent need.