The Meitei distrust Army presence. For decades they lived with the crushing weight of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) that enabled military forces to conduct indiscriminate arrests, killings, rape of women, with impunity. The Kuki-Zo groups of Manipur however told me that presence of Indian Army protected them against the oppression of both the Naga and the Meitei.

A Khasi friend in government service in Manipur observed how Meitei used the word “hau” while speaking of the tribes. This “other-ing” despite the similar origins of race, is a factor that has long been a wedge dividing ethnic communities of Manipur, he said.

The revival of the Sanamahi religion was a genuine quest of Meitei youth for identity and a return to cultural roots. It rejected the baggage of caste, untouchability brought to their society during 300 years of forcible conversion to Hinduism. Many Meitei today follow a synthesis of both religions but it is not a society at peace with its identity.

The Meitei grudge how in 1949 the Manipur Maharaja was made to join the Indian Union under duress. The majority of Meitei did not however protest at that time, because in this Merger Agreement was the clause that promised them development and livelihood. The government of India(GOI)’s failure to honour that promise and the hardship of daily survival in these parts has fuelled Meitei resentment since decades.

The cause of Manipur’s integrity is close to the hearts of the Meitei. Any threat to it is fiercely opposed. The Naga and Kuki have long been demanding separate administration and territory. The Meitei bitterly recall the loss of the fertile Hukwang Valley to Burma by Nehru, leaving 70 per cent of their population confined to 10 per cent of the land in the Valley.

Manipur had no economy other than through drug trade and gun running. Government jobs were the only source of  legitimate employment but to avail even the job of a peon, to get a promotion or get admission in an educational insti tution, bribes of huge amounts had to be paid.

It was this widespread perception of corruption that led to the ouster of the Congress Party and the emergence of the BJP in the 2017 election, led by chief minister, Biren Singh now in his  second term in power.

Deep rooted fault lines have since then been nurtured by political forces, leading to indoctrination and radicalization  of youth connected to the Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Leepon that claim to be “cultural groups”. Supported by Meitei women, they have conducted murderous attacks on the Kuki in the foothills surrounding the Imphal Valley, rape and arson.

Given the conflicting claims over ‘who cast the first stone’ or who has more dead bodies, it is not possible for us to verify the truth. Having closely followed events since May 4, as they were actually unfolding, my impression is that in the first wave of violence the Kuki suffered gravely, fighting a losing battle with country made weapons in self de- fence.

In the second phase Meitei casualties shot up — 200 estimated to be massacred in the Khamenlok incident of June 13th. The Kuki compelled their militant groups to come out of their designated camps where they were confined by an agreement of Suspension of Operations with GOI. The inci dent is not officially admitted by the Meitei because they could not explain their presence in this Kuki area.

The Manipur government is alleged to have initiated this State-sponsored ethnic cleansing of the Kuki tribes. In March 2023 they initiated a grab of Kuki ancestral lands claiming they were State owned reserved forests. They appear to have taken a leaf from Burma’s military rulers that did the same to the Rohingya people and then bartered their prime lands in deals with Chinese and Indian business interests.

Sandwiched between two hostile groups in Manipur — the Naga and Meitei — the Kuki are also spread across all neighbouring states barring Arunachal. They represent amongst the most vulnerable of groups. It is said they were  the last of the tribes to come to the NE region. British records show they settled in the region since 1800s.

The Manipur government is on record recently, claiming that the Kuki are “poppy growers”, “narco terrorists” and “illegal infiltrators”. It ignores the fact that every group in Manipur including insurgents and politicians, thrive on the drug trade. Poppy cultivation arises in the absence of other means of economic development, and that controlling illegal infiltration from Myanmar is the job of the government.

Unlike other tribal areas of India’s North East that have strong Consti tutional protections, the laws related to land rights of the Manipur tribes are weak and ill defined. They have long sought 6th Schedule protection as given to the tribes of Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram.

While in the past the Kuki have clashed with the Naga and also within their own groups over the issue of land, in the present violence there is the emergence of strong alliance between the Kuki Zo who constitute the foothill groups and are now hell bent on a separate administration. They have support from Mizoram and the Chin groups of Myanmar who share a close affinity to the Kuki Zo people.

Seeing an opportunity to press resolution of the Naga Peace Accord, the Manipur Naga are reiterating the boundaries of their territories pending the emergence of a Peace Accord. With the Centre intent on following its own agenda, conflict resolution needs intervention from other NE states and the involvement of public opinion in the rest of India.

The worry for all other states in India’s north-east now is that the conflagration will spread to neighbouring states. Greed for Kuki land has long made them vulnerable. In Karbi Anglong, Assam for instance, I came across stories of Kuki being forced to languish in refugee camps following engineered communal     violence. Since then local elites, backed by the administration, have captured their lands to plant cash crop mono-cul ture plantations.

With the massive thrust given to the National Palm Oil Mission, backed by an Rs.11,000 crore subsidy, the dispossesion of Kuki lands appears to be high on the BJP agenda.

The Palm Oil Mission is facilitating the entry of corporate giants. The devastating consequences of these monoculture cash crop plantations in Mizoram now ten years down the line, is strongly telling.

Evidence from Indonesia and PNG meanwhile show that palm oil is destroying the biodiversity, soil fertility and water sources. It has reduced once proud land owners to plantation labour and there is a loss of local food security and sovereignty of the tribes there.

With the passing of the recent 2023 Amendments to the Forest Conservation Act, the BJP has effectively dismantled the Constitutional protections of the tribes in the north east (NE), the way it did in Kashmir. It is now confident to claim it will make India the top three economies in the world and promises a five trillion dollar economy. Its ‘Look East Policy’ will be through mining of the mineral rich tribal lands across India     and industrialization by corporates.

For the NE and the rest of India, this is a wake-up call. We  have ignored our tribal people and their long fight to pro tect jal, jungle and zameen. India’s Constitution has justly made the tribal people the guardians of India’s lands and natural resources. It is due to them that India retains the last of the three biodiversity hotspots left on our planet.

This enables us to breathe, be nourished, find healing and ensures the survival of future generations.

It is for these reasons that our government should be told .,  that we do not want India’s five trillion dollar economy at the expense of the rivers of blood that flow in the North East.

(The author, a senior independent journalist, is author of the 2016 book Understanding India’s Northeast: A Reporter’s Journal; this is a text of a talk delivered at a public meeting on July 28; Friends of Manipur organized by the Bombay Catholic Sabha and Bishop Allwyn).

Related:

Manipur is Burning but who cares?

Manipur Violence: Video showing 2 Kuki women being paraded naked opens the eyes of the government, PM Modi and Irani make first statements

Behind the violence, grabbing Hill lands for palm oil manufacture: Manipur

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Racism has raised its ugly head even amidst these trying times. Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, people from North Eastern states have been at the receiving end of racial slurs and social ostracism. Our fellow Indians are being accused of not only being Chinese, but also spreading the virus!

This has impacted their social mobility, including simple things as stepping out to get groceries. Cases have been reported from Delhi, Mysore and even Mumbai.

However, the worst affected are those people from the North East who work low-wage jobs such as cooks, waiters, food delivery boys, spa and salon workers. They live with siblings, cousins and friends in shared accommodations in low-income neighbourhoods. Even in the best of times they are forced to live hand-to-mouth so that they can send some money back home to their elderly parents and other dependents.

The Tangkhul Welfare Society Mumbai, brought to CJP’s notice the plight of 50 such families living in low income neighbourhoods in Kalina and Khar Danda. Tangkhul Welfare Society Mumbai is an organisation that works to provide relief and assistance in times of distress to members of the Tangkhul community, tribal people who hail from different parts of Nagaland and Manipur. 

Now, we have partnered together to provide ration and essential goods to these 50 families, hailing not just from the Tangkhul community but also other tribes and states from the North East. The package includes rice, pulses, sugar, salt, tea, cooking oil, potatoes, onions, bathing and washing soap and washing powder.

CJP had earlier planned its distribution strategy for month-long rations per identified family. However, due to the lockdown, supplies are running out, not just in local corner-stores, but also at many large wholesale markets. In fact, the CJP team had to go to Navi Mumbai to get supplies and managed to make a few emergency purchases and deliver them despite a flash strike called by transporters!

The paucity of all contents of the designed package compelled us to truncate distribution for ten days ration per family. The first installment was delivered yesterday. This includes rice, sugar, onions, potatoes, cooking oil and tea. We will provide the remaining items as soon as supply improves. Here are a few images of families who received the relief packages.

Thotmahai Raingam, Vice President, Tangkhul Welfare Society Mumbai, who helped coordinate the relief efforts with a team of volunteers said, “We are very grateful to your organization for the generous donations. Heartfelt gratitude to all your team members who worked very hard just to help us get what we needed at the right time. Thank you very much for your kindness.” 

CJP hopes to provide additional assistance to these families after one week if we manage to get more supplies.  

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In a shocking display of racism, people from North East India are being targeted and accused of spreading the Corona Virus. Covid-19 originated in China, and people from the NE are being accused of being Chinese!

In the first instance, nine youth from Nagaland, including six women and three men, were forcibly quarantined in Ahmedabad despite showing no symptoms or raising any concern that would qualify them for testing. They also had no history of foreign travel or contact with a laboratory confirmed Covid-19 infected patient.

Ahmedabad police landed up at the workplace of 24-year-old Cathy Chakhesang and her fellow Naga coworkers on Friday March 20. Chakhesang told Scroll, “They told the owner of the company that some public had complained about us – that we are carrying the virus because we look like Chinese. We told them we are from Nagaland in India.”

But the police did not listen to them and summoned an ambulance to ferry them to a quarantine center set up at a sports club. At the facility, their temperature was tested and was found to be in the normal range. Yet, they were not allowed to leave and forced to spend the night in the same facility that has used to quarantine people arriving from Australia. Chakhesang shot a video that went viral on whatsapp. Finally, on Saturday March 21, they were allowed to leave.

Meanwhile Ahmedabad police commissioner Ashish Bhatia brushed off the incident. He told Scroll, “Nothing went wrong. It was very simple, they were not subjected to anything, only checking and all was done.” He also appeared to care little about the danger in forcing healthy people to spend time in proximity of possibly unhealthy or infected people by saying, “Everybody is there, [other] people are there for 14 days.” Who is to be held accountable if this quarantine ends up being the reason for one of these young people contracting the virus? Isn’t purposefully endangering the life of a person based on their race, a hate crime? Or is the administration legitimizing racism by claiming it was in public interest?

Meanwhile in the capital, the Indian Express reported that a man first passed lewd comments at a 25 -year-old Manipuri woman in North-West Delhi’s Mukherjea Nagar area. The woman was returning after shopping from gorceries on Saturday evening when the 50-year-old man allegedly first made sexually coloured remarks about her. When she objected, he spat at her, yelled “Corona” and ran away. An FIR has been registered under section 509 at the Mukherjea Nagar police station, and police are looking for the accused. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted about the incident saying, “Am shocked to read this. Delhi Police must find the culprit and take strict action. We need to be united as a nation, especially in our fight against Covid-19.”

Related:

Covid-19 Update: Delhi under lockdown, Mumbai lockdown extended

Covid-19: West Bengal goes under lockdown from 5 PM today

Covid-19: Maha Labour Commissioner forbids organisations from firing, reducing wages of workers 

 Doctors need more protective gear now, before COVID-19 cases explode

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On Friday February 28, clashes broke out In Ichamati village located in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya between members of the Khasi Students Union (KSU) and non-tribals. The violence took place at a rally against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) where KSU, that opposes the CAA demanded the implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) at Ichamati. One member of the KSU identified as Lurshai Hynniewta, a resident of Khliehshnong Sohra, was killed in the clashes.

Thereafter, in a series of attacks non-tribal people, both Hindus and Muslims, were either killed or injured grievously: (Sources-India Express, Northeast News)
 

• On Saturday, Rupchand Dewan, a vegetable vendor originally hailing from Assam’s Barpeta district was stabbed to death in Shillong’s Bara Bazar area

• Another vegetable vendor Jaddu Choudhury from Silchar was also stabbed, but survived

• Akash Ali from Barpeta, who works as a courier delivery boy was hit on the head with a hammer in Langsning on Saturday

• Also, on Saturday, a member of Meghalaya Basin Development Authority was attacked in Mawthabah

• A 28-year-old man identified as Aditya Kumar was stabbed at Mawprem and hospitalized with serious injuries

• On Sunday, a 37-year-old man identified as Upas Uddin was killed in Pykran village that falls under the jurisdiction of Shella police station in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district on Sunday morning. His three assailants are absconding and yet to be identified.

• On Sunday morning, District Magistrate Matsiewdor W Nongbri said in an order, “There is a likelihood of a serious breakdown of peace and tranquillity which may lead to loss of life and property… I do promulgate curfew in these areas from 8 am on March 1 until further orders.”

• Eight people have been arrested so far in connection with the attack that killed Hynniewta

Tribal group blames Hindutva groups, issues ultimatum to Bengali Hindus

The Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), a banned insurgent group from Meghalaya, has issued an ultimatum to all the Hindu-Bengalis to leave Ichamati and Majai areas at Shella in East Khasi Hills within one month. HNLC general secretary-cum-publicity secretary Sainkupar Nongtraw in a statement issued on Sunday said, “If they fail to do so by not complying to our ultimatum then we shall not be made responsible in case of any eventuality. This time it shall be a mass bloodshed.”

The HNLC blames Hindutva groups and Bengali Hindus for Lurshai Hynniewta’s death. “It was quite visible that the attacks were similar to the ones that happened in the country’s capital by Hindutva forces,” said the statement. “Whatever had happened in the country’s capital Delhi in the recent times was an outcome of the pro-CAA activists attacking the anti-CAA groups,” continued the statement, adding, “These incidents are all stage-managed by the Hindutva forces.”

Meghalaya’s ethnic make-up

The eastern state of Meghalaya is home to many tribes such as Khasi, Garo, Jaintia, Hajong, Biate, Tiwa (Lalung), Rabha, Kuki, Boro, Nepali, Karbi, Koch, Rajbongshi etc. In fact, till 1972 the state was a part of Assam, and the present-day state of Meghalaya was formed by carving out the Khasi, Garo and Jaintia Hills districts on January 21, 1972. According to the official website of the Meghalaya Tourism department, “Meghalaya’s main ethnic communities, each having its own distinctive customs and cultural traditions are the Khasis (of Mon-Khmer ancestry), the Garos (of Tibeto-Burman origin) and the Jaintias said to be from South East Asia.” Also, “The principal languages in Meghalaya are Khasi, Pnar and Garo with English as the official language of the State.”

According to census 2011 data, over three quarters of tribals practice Christianity. These include Garos and Khasis. However, tribes like Hajong, Koch and Rabha people are predominantly Hindu. Muslims account for less than five percent of the state’s population.

Anti-Bengali sentiment

In 1979, when the “anti-foreigner” sentiment swept across Assam, a parallel movement against Bengalis began in Meghalaya. The derogatory word Dkhar was used for ethnic Bengalis, who were mainly Hindu settlers. Ethnocentric Khasi organisations such as KSU and HNLC raised the slogan Beh Dkhar meaning chase the Dkhars away. Violence broke out in October 1979 after two Khasi boys allegedly desecrated an image of a Bengali Hindu deity. Bengali owned businesses and shops were subsequently shut down forcible and over 20,000 Bengalis were forced to flee the state.

Even today, Bengalis are viewed as outsiders and ethnocentric groups fear their influx will spoil the demography of the state. An HNCL statement released recently says that it fears that if “the CAA comes into its implementation then the Bengali Hindu community shall become the biggest threat to our Hynniewtrep land.”

Related:

Turmoil in the North East: The demand for Bangalistan
Turmoil in the North East: A Bru Story
Turmoil in the North East: The Naga Pact and its ramifications

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Pratidin Sangbad, 22^nd January: The honorable Supreme Court of India on Wednesday said that it will consider the impact of CAA in Assam separately and hear Assam and Tripura related petitions on Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) separately. A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde, who heard the 144 petitions said, “It will hear petitions pertaining to Assam and Tripura separately as the problem with CAA in these two states is different from rest of the country.” This decision of Supreme Court has been well accepted by the people of Assam who are protesting the CAA. A total of 17 petitions were filed by various organization and individuals. The Supreme Court’s decision on CAA creates hope for the people of Assam. At the time of the hearing, Malavika Trivedi, the advocate from All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) delivered the problems of Assam regarding CAA. She spoke about the Assam Accord and requested the bench to consider Assam’s problems with the CAA separately. Senior advocate Bikash Singh, from the “Advocates’ Association for Indigenous Rights of Assamese” also described the problems related to CAA. He said that the new law would change the demography of Assam as it would grant Citizenship to Hindu Bangladeshis. He also said that he was hoping that the Court would stay the Act, which triggered protests in several parts of the country including northeastern states. He added, “By the Assam Accord, the base year of detecting foreigners was 1971. Until and unless the problem of base year is not settled, (the government) should not take any decision regarding the Act.” Another advocate too spoke about the NRC and the Attorney General of India delivered an important note on NRC in the Supreme Court saying that the Assam National Register of Citizenship (NRC) will not be complete until the national list is published by the Registrar General of India.

The Court has given the centre four weeks to respond to petitions against CAA, refusing to pass any ex-parte order without hearing the centre on staying the amended law and the NPR. The Court asked senior advocate Kapil Sibal to assist in these matters especially with regards to Assam and Tripura.  

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Guwahati, January 22: The Supreme Court hearing upon 144 petitions including 17 petitions from North- East India on the highly debated Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 has generated some hope for the concerns raised by the North- East. On December 22, 2019, at the first hearing on C(A)A, Attorney General K K Venugopal had stated that as the rules of the Act has not been framed by the Union of India, there was nothing available to direct the Government for withdraw of the same Act. The Chief Justice of India, S A Bobde, presiding over the three member bench, directed the Government of India for filing its affidavit clearing upon the questions raised by various petitioners. The Union of India failed to submit its affidavit within a stipulated time and the hearing which was fixed today continued for 55 minutes.

After hearing all sides the SC directed the Government of India to clarify all concerns that had been raised in the all 144 petitions in the Supreme Court within 4 weeks. After that the Supreme Court would consider further course of action. It also expressed the hope that the Government of India will not proceed to implement the controversial Act until the concerns of the various parties have been resolved.

Meanwhile, the CJI also commented that the hearing of the petitions filed by various parties from Assam and Tripura would be dealt with separately. In Assam the Assam Accord, 1985 must be taken into consideration while implementing this Act. This move by the SC has generated much hope in both Assam and the entire North- East of India.

Eminent lawyer of Guwahati High Court, Kamal Narayan Choudhury, who was representing the case against C(A)A filed by noted literary personality and critic Dr Hiren Gohain, reacting on the statement of honorable Chief Justice said,  “the honorable Chief Justice has assured us that he will hear the petitions filed by various parties from Assam and Tripura. This shows that the honorable SC has understood the ground reality of Assam and North- East India. This has also raised hopes that our opposition to the Act will not be ignored.” Former Chief Minister and congress leader Tarun Gogoi who was appearing in the court to lead his case said, “the honorable Supreme Court has heard all objections regarding C(A)A very attentively. We hope the court will be pleased to repeal the anti-constitutional Act.”

Contrary to this, on the other hand, the opposition leader in Assam and Congress legislature Debabrata Saikia stated, “the Supreme Court gave four weeks’ time to the Government of India to submit its affidavit relating to the various objections raised by various petitioners on C (A) A. The centre has failed to submit that affidavit within the affixed time. It appears that the centre has a very weak defence of its case in the Supreme Court. The AASU President Dipanka Nath said that, “we are thankful to the stand of honorable Supreme Court. It has understood the ground reality of Assam and North- East, which the BJP leaders and the ruling party failed to understand.” Lurinjyoti Gogoi, the General Secretary of AASU of the opinion that, “the Supreme Court is convinced with the especial situation of Assam and North- East. The Assam has an Accord for determination and expulsion of foreigners before March 24, 1971.  Citizenship in Assam is determined under section 6(A) of Citizenship Act, which does not apply to other parts of the country. The honorable SC has not undermined the special position of the state by assuring us that the petitions filed by various parties in Assam and North- East will be heard separately.” AJYCP president, Palash Changmai also said that, “the hearing of Supreme Court has raised the aspirations of the people of Assam and North- East.”     

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Guwahati, January 22: Even as the Supreme Court was busy hearing as many as 144 petitions relating to C(A)A-2019, huge protest rallies were organised all over the state of Assam and North-East demanding a complete repeal of the discriminatory Act. The students’ community from all the universities in North-East India came out heavily against the C(A)A today. The Post Graduate Student’s Union of Guwahati University and others union society of various universities of North- East including Dibrugarh University, Tezpur Central University, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, Assam Women’s University, Jorhat, Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh, North- East Hill University, Shillong, Nagaland University, Cotton University, Guwahati and many other front-runner educational institutions remained closed today as all the students from these institutions had unanimously called for a total boycott of their classes in protest against C(A)A.

For over a month in Assam, the student’s community has been protesting relentlessly demanding a complete repeal of C (A) A. They today intensified their protest today while the Supreme Court was busy in its crucial hearing on C (A) A. For students of Assam from these premier institutions the demand for a repeal of the Act is because it has violated the basic structure of Indian Constitution and the Assam Accord.

Apart from Assam, students from other parts of North- Eastern India also came out of their campuses and shouted slogans against C(A)A and BJP Government at the centre and in the states. In one voice they said that they will not accept the C(A)A. Moon Talukdar, the president of Post Graduate Student’s Union, Guwahati University who also represents the ABVP –a youth wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was also vocal against the BJP and C(A)A today. At a protest rally at the Guwahati University Moon Talukdar alleged that, if the Union government wants to implement C (A) A they have to erase the word “secular” from our constitution. C(A)A is against the basic structure of our constitution and it violates the Assam Accord. In this context, C(A)A is not acceptable for the people of Assam, North- East or India. We are united and we will defeat the anti-national Act whatever be the cost.”  

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After 22 years of being ousted from their homes and being forced to live in refugee camps, the Bru community has finally found a permanent home in Tripura as per a new agreement signed in New Delhi on Thursday. The Bru tribe had been displaced from their traditional home in Mizoram in wake of an ethnic conflict in 1997. Since then 32,000 Bru people have been living as refugees in Tripura and even parts of Assam.

Several attempts have been made to repatriate them, but most have resulted in failure. The most recent attempt was made last year and ended in tragedy when after the deadline for repatriation talks ended, the government stopped the flow of food and other supplies to six refugee camps forcing the Brus to evict or starve!

Six peopledied before Kirit Pradyot Deb Barman, scion of the erstwhile Manikya royal family of Tripura, intervened demanding Brus be granted the right to live and settle in Tripura.  

Now, the center has finally reached a solution to the long-standing crisis. On Thursday, a quadripartite agreement was signed in the presence of Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, Mizoram Chief Minister Pu Zoramthanga and leaders of Mizoram Bru Displaced Peoples Forum (MBDPF), the largest forum of Bru migrants. A Rs 600 crore package was announced for the resettlement of Brus. The terms of the previous resettlement agreement in Mizoram have now been tweaked for the purpose of resettlement in Tripura as follows:

· Rs 1.5 lakh housing assistance to the migrants into three instalments

· Rs 4 lakh one-time cash assistance for sustenance to be handed over after 3 years

· Rs 5,000 monthly cash assistance

· Free ration for two years to migrants who wish to be permanently settled in Tripura

Pradyot Deb Barman, who is also the Chairman of The Indigenous progressive regional alliance – T.I.P.R.A has welcomed the new agreement tweeting, “It’s a start and a wonderful one at that! Our Bru people have been given the rehabilitation inside Tripura! United we stand.”

“According to the agreement, those willing to go back to Mizoram can go and the rest can stay in Tripura. They have to stay in either of the states. He said a large quantum of land would be required to rehabilitate these 34,000 people and it would take at least six months,” Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb told NDTV.

Brief history of Brus

Brus who are also called Reangs are an agrarian tribe practicing Jhum cultivation. In the late 90s there emerged a movement to create an autonomous Bru territory carved from western Mizoram, parts of Triura and even Bangladesh. In September 1997 the movement gained momentum and on October 21, 1997, a forest guard was killed in the Dampa Tiger Reserve allegedly by members of the Bru National Liberation Front. This led to clashed with the Mizos, and eventually 37,000 Brus were forced to flee Mamit, Kolasib and Lunglei districts of Mizoram. 

While 5,000 people returned over 9 phases of repatriation since then, but around 32,000 continued to live in six refugee camps in Tripura. In these refugee camps they were given 600 grams of rice for each adult and 300 grams for each minor every day, along with a daily allowance of Rs 5 and Rs 2.5 respectively. They were forced to live in makeshift bamboo huts without proper power or water supply.

When the last repatriation agreement was launched in 2018 there were fears of persecution at the hands of Mizos upon their return leading most Brus to reject the deal. But when the deadline for the repatriation talks ended on November 30, 2019, relief supplies to the refugee camps were stopped. Six people including four infants died allegedly due to starvation. This led to Brus blockading the streets categorically stating that they will not entertain any talks of repatraition while they were being forced to starve! 

That’s when Pradyot Deb Barman made an appeal that Brus be permitted to stay in Tripura. Various Bru refugee groups came together to lobby for the best solution for the decades old crisis and now it appears that the tribe can finally live in peace.

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The North East Student Organisation (NESO), a collective of North-East student unions sounded a clarion call for its member organisations to rally against the revised Citizenship Amendment Bill, which is likely to be tabled before the Central Legislature soon.

The contentious Bill seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-muslim refugees – Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis – that may have fled neighbouring countries due to fears of religious persecution. 

In the North-East, this Bill considered a threat to the indigenous peoples of the states as the absorption of the refugees is thought of resulting in the “minoritisation” of the residing population. This very fear had in the 1980s given fuel to student agitations in Assam, which concluded with the signing of the Assam Accord and the setting up of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), invented to identify and discard Bangladeshi migrants from the State.

All Assam Student Union (AASU), All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU), Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), Garo Students’ Union (GSU), Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), Tripura Student Federation (TSF), All Manipur Students’ Union (AMSU) held protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in other states of the North Eastern region.

Additionally, other organisations led by the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti launched a door-to-door campaign to drum up support against the bill, while members of the Left Democratic Front in Assam, staged a sit-in demanding the scrapping of the bill.

In Assam, AASU led the protests to the Raj Bhawan in Guwahati. On November 15, members and supporters of Asom Jatiyabadi Yuba Chhatra Parishad (AJYCP) took out rallies, and held sit-in demonstrations at several places, including Guwahati, Mangaldoi, Sonari and Jorthat.

The Asian Age reported that the Asom Songrami Mancha has threatened that the ruling BJP will face a movement bigger than the 1980s’ Assam students’ agitation if it pushed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Parliament.

In Mizoram, the People’s Representation for Identity and Status of Mizoram joined the protest. The Hindu reported party president Vanlalruata saying, “The proposed Citizenship Bill is harmful for the entire northeast. But the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre appears to be putting the interest of illegal migrants above that of the indigenous people.”

In Arunachal Pradesh, Rajiv Gandhi University Student Union (RGUSU) among other university groups joined the peaceful rally organised by AAPSU in Itanagar.

In Meghalaya, non-governmental groups have vowed not to relent until the Centre dumps the bill. To drive home the point, the Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisations has called for a night road blockade across the State on November 18 and 19, between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. The United Democratic Party (UDP) and the National People’s Party (NPP), former BJP allies in the state, have also opposed the Bill.

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The post Widespread Protests Mushroom All Over Northeast; NESO Leads The Charge appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Gandhi University, Itanagar—joined hands with All Arunachal Pradesh Student Union (AAPSU) to conduct a peaceful rally against the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Bill today, November 18.

On November 16, the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) had announced that it will hold protest marches against the proposed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) across all seven North-Eastern States in the region on Monday. A NESO release said, “Through each governor, the protesters will submit memorandums to the prime minister and home minister against the bill, which is strictly against the indigenous people of the region.”

AAPSU, the NESO-affiliate group based in Arunachal Pradesh, planned a peaceful protest rally to take place on November 18. The rally would commence at 8.30 am, starting from the Indira Gandhi Park upto the state’s Raj Bhawan.

In a notice dated November 16, the RGUSU informed students of the Rajiv Gandhi University that they strongly support this rally as they believe the proposed Bill is totally against the interests of the indigenous peoples of the state and the North-East as a whole.

“… (the Bill) once passed will give citizenship status to all the illegal immigrants and refugees like Chakma, Hajong and Tibetans. Which will give them same rights as the indigenous peoples of Arunachal Pradesh. In the same way all the states and indigenous peoples of the North-East will be affected,” the notice stated.

The notice appealed to the students of the University to join RGUSU at the rally to show dissent against the Bill, stating that transport would be provided to and fro the location for their benefit.

Meanwhile, media reports suggest that RSS volunteers have begun reaching out to villages with leaflets which elaborate in vernacular tongue why the bill is necessary and how it will not have any impact on the indigenous people as asserted by protesting groups. Speaking to The Economic Times, Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said that the revised bill which will be placed in Parliament during its winter session, “… is different from the earlier one and will protect the unique culture and identity of the people of northeast.”

Earlier, the All Assam Students Union (AASU)’s chief advisor, Samujjal Bhattacharya, told reporters that his outfit “would not tolerate the Bill at any cost and continue to protest against it”.

“We cannot let the BJP do whatever it wants just because it has the numbers in Parliament. With the Act, the definition of immigrants will change directly and affect the demography of Assam and the entire region,” Bhattacharya said.

Protests are also being observed in the rest of North-East India. MANPAC, or the Manipur People Against Citizenship Amndment Bill has called an 18-hour total shutdown in Manipur from Monday midnight till 6 pm on Tuesday, as part of a mass agitation organised by the North East Forum for Indigenous People. Student Unions from all over Meghalaya have also assembled in Shillong to protest the Bill.

On Sunday, the Asom Songrami Mancha also threatened the BJP that the ruling government will face a movement bigger than the 1980s’ Assam students’ agitation if it pushed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Parliament. The Morcha’s Executive President Adip Phukan said, “We are forced to struggle for survival in our own land; and we are betrayed by our own leaders. They are neither vocal for the interests of the Assamese, neither in Dispur nor in Delhi. Their intention is only to remain in power and follow the dictates of the RSS.”
 

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The post Arunachal Pradesh University students join protests against CAB; Show Support to NESO appeared first on SabrangIndia.