'Accusing refugees is wrong': Manipur tribal body on Amit Shah's remark on clashes

The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) and the Kuki-Zo tribals said they felt let down by Union Home Minister Amit Shah's comments in the Lok Sabha concerning the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur. The ITLF said accusing refugees, who are some of the most deprived and helpless sections in any community, of starting a conflict at this scale is just "plain wrong".

In a statement, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), a conglomerate of recognised tribals of Manipur, said, “Three months of violence in Manipur has led to the deaths of more than 130 Kuki-Zo tribals, the displacement of 41,425 tribal civilians and the complete physical and emotional separation of Meteis and tribals. And the best explanation that the home minister can come up with is the entry of refugees from Myanmar.”

The tribal group said Mizoram has welcomed more than 40,000 refugees from Myanmar and displaced people from Manipur, and it is still “the most peaceful state in India”.

"The Scheduled Tribe demand by the majority community, the government notification on forest reserves which would usurp tribals from their lands, and the demonising of tribals by the CM and radical Meitei intellectuals are the reasons why the trust deficit grew between Meiteis and tribals, which culminated in the sectarian clashes," the group said in its statement.

The tribal group also expressed disappointment over the government’s defense on Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh, who they called “chief architect of the violence”.

“The ITLF is aghast that the home minister is still defending Manipur CM Biren Singh, who we consider is the chief architect of the violence. So many innocent people have died under his watch, and violence continues unabated after three months,” the group said.

The tribal group appealed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to “rise above party politics in dealing with the crisis in Manipur”.

WHAT DID AMIT SHAH SAY?

Addressing Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Home Minister Shah said problems started in Manipur with the influx of Kuki refugees from neighbouring Myanmar after the military rulers there started a crackdown against militants in 2021.

The Kuki refugees started settling down in the jungles in the Manipur valley, raising fears of a demographic change in the region, Amit Shah said.