A video recently emerged from Manipur of a young man being burnt alive. The man is clad in a black T-shirt and camouflage pants, writhing on the forest ground, engulfed in flames. The man also had visible injuries on his face barely visible as he is being burnt. In the background voices can be heard speaking, although nobody else is fully visible in the video apart from the man burnt.
Police have stated that the video is from May 4th when the conflict is supposed to have started. However, senior police officials have confirmed that the person seen being burnt in the short seven-second long video belongs to the Kuki-Zo community, and is shot in a place called Thoubal. According to a report by the Indian Express Thoubal is a Meitei dominated district. The police officials have announced that a case has been registered in this regard. Senior police officials have furthermore identified the person seen being burned in the video as a member of the Kuki-Zo community. Manipur has been enmeshed in ethnic violence since May 3. Recently, photographs had emerged showing the dead bodies of two Meitei students who had been missing since June.
The photos led to widespread protests by students and organisations, and consequently, reports suggest the usage of excessive force as well. News had also emerged of pellet guns being used against protestors. In the meantime, mobile internet ban was reissued and is currently operative till October 12. However, the Manipur CM N Biren Singh had reassured the public that strictest action would be taken against the culprits. A team of high-level CBI officers had also arrived to investigate the deaths. A few days following their arrival, they arrested six people from the Kuki-Zo community which led to several activists and organisations calling out these arrests as ‘hasty’ and ‘arbitrary’ and demanding for the release of those arrested. Tribal organisations also questioned why such a speedy enquiry never occurred in the caste of violation of tribal rights.
INDIA bloc, a coalition of opposition parties, has criticised the Modi government after the video emerged. Shiv Sena politician, member of the INDIA bloc and current Rajya Sabha MP Swati Chaturvedi had posted the following on Twitter, “In yet another horrific video emerging from Manipur, the body of a tribal man is seen being set on fire in a trench. A police official said the video appeared to be from early May. The tragedy of Manipur is still not discussed & addressed. Priorities.”
In yet another horrific video emerging from Manipur, the body of a tribal man is seen being set on fire in a trench. A police official said the video appeared to be from early May.
The tragedy of Manipur is still not discussed&addressed. Priorities. https://t.co/JRiPBgUrru
— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) October 9, 2023
The police have furthermore stated that this video of the man being burnt is from the same day as that of the harrowing incident where two Kuko-Zo tribal women were paraded naked by a group of men in Manipur. The video for the women being violently paraded had emerged on July 19th and had spread a spate of protests and horror on social media. Reports allege that a Meitei mob had gone rogue in Thoubal district of Manipur on that very day of May 4th after rumours of Meitei women being raped went amok. Police officials had however confirmed that these rumours of rape were fake. However, the violence unleashed against the tribal community was not able to be stopped. About 180 people have died in the ongoing violence and reports reveal that about 60,000 people have been forced to leave their homes due to the ongoing violence.
Related:
Manipur is Burning but who cares?
UN human rights experts express alarm at Manipur violence, India disagrees
Mob fury: Manipur HRD, Babloo Loitongbam’s home attacked in Imphal