Christian tribes in India’s restive northern state of Manipur claim Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government has wrongly classified them as “illegal immigrants” and could “deport them” to neighboring Myanmar. ing.
Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said, claimed On Wednesday, the administration announced that it had identified 5,457 “illegal immigrants” in Manipur and initiated “deportation proceedings” against them.
“At this critical juncture, certain homegrown groups based in Western countries are criticizing measures taken against illegal immigrants in a communal tone and promoting them as a violation of religious freedom. We realized that,” Singh complained.
He claimed:
Ironically, this lobby has remained silent on Western countries’ stance on illegal immigration, but has objected to steps taken in Manipur, India. This selective outrage raises concerns about the agenda and propaganda pursued by these groups with separatist tendencies.
Singh argued that deporting these “illegal immigrants” is essential to the “survival of indigenous peoples.” He also said that even though the situation was “alarming,” the administration had taken great care in providing humanitarian assistance to illegal immigrants.
India’s NDTV suspected that Singh had complained about the incident. Manipur Tribal Association of North America (NAMTA) is a Texas-based nonprofit organization determined to “perpetuate, preserve, and preserve the heritage of the hill tribe people of Manipur.”
Namta testified On May 6, a US Congress accused the Indian government, currently controlled by Prime Minister Modi’s Hindu nationalist party, the BJP, of persecuting Christian tribes in Manipur and violating their religious freedom.
Manipur is broadly divided into a Hindu tribe called the Meitei who live in the lowlands and a minority Christian tribe such as the Kuki who live in the hills.
Long-simmering tensions between the two groups boiled down In May 2023, the Meitei people, the undisputed majority of the state’s population, requested access to the same minority programs provided to the hill tribes. Violence continues, with Manipur on the brink of full-scale civil war several times in the past year. Entire Christian villages were burned down and thousands of residents were evacuated.
An Indian Army soldier (R) stands with villagers in front of a church that was set on fire and looted by a mob in India’s Manipur state on May 8, 2023. (ARUN SANKAR/AFP via Getty)
indian opposition strongly criticized Mr. Modi ignored the crisis, but Christians in Manipur accused The BJP government actively took Meitei’s side. Although Singh often denounced “militants” and “terrorists,” Kukis had the distinct impression that he was not talking about the Meitei mob.
Manipur was actually under Burma (now Myanmar) until India annexed it in 1949 and officially incorporated it as a state in 1972. The Modi government has often complained that people are illegally crossing the border from Myanmar and setting up drug farms in the hills.
Kuki advocates such as NAMTA argue that these people should be treated as refugees fleeing religious persecution in Myanmar. The Buddhist nationalists who rule Myanmar are notorious for forcing Rohingya Muslims into refugees. On the brink of genocidebut they also brutally persecuted Christian tribe.
Lien Ganthe, NAMTA Canadian branch chief, told Parliament that following the May 2023 riots in Imphal, the capital of Manipur state, families were internally displaced and many Maiteis were forced to flee the Kuki tribe to escape the violence. He told Congress that he had joined.
“Today, more than a year after my family lost everything, we still don’t know if and when the problem will be resolved. Will there ever be justice for us?” Gang-tae said. Said.
“My people are being subjected to ethnic cleansing,” he said. “It became an existential crisis and we had to fight to survive.”
On Monday, May 29, in New Delhi, India, a Kuki woman breaks down in tears as she recounts her ordeal of fleeing during a sit-in protest against the killings of her people in her home state of Manipur in the northeast, where her village was burnt down. 2023. (Manish Swarup/The Associated Press)
Like many other critics, Mr. Gangte urged Christian tribes and their international defenders to ensure that the Modi government “fulfills its constitutional obligations” and “provides basic security and justice to our people.” “We have decided to stand by the Hindu majority until they can convince the government,” he said. people. “
“These cases in Manipur reflect a broader and broader picture of the deteriorating religious freedom situation across India,” said David Currie, commissioner of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), who also attended the Congressional hearing. “It shows a pattern.”
On July 16, 2023, members of the Catholic Association organized the Manipur March for Peace in Manipur on Park Street in Kolkata, India. (Samir Jana/Hindustan Times via Getty)
The Indian government has labeled Christians from Manipur as illegal immigrants by attacking NAMTA and other Christian groups as allies of the Sikh separatist Khalistani movement, which India considers a serious threat to the nation. It seems they have decided to address the allegations by kicking them out of Manipur. safety.Canada and America accused India organized assassinations of Khalistan activists abroad.
NDTV made an effort It directly links Ghante to “Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.” allegedly murdered by Indian government officials in Canada in June last year. The Indian government began blocking NAMTA’s social media accounts last year after “intelligence agencies” began monitoring NAMTA’s “alarming” activities.
“NAMTA member states have repeatedly maligned India and tarnished India’s image on the world stage. Coincidentally, they have become more aggressive when the Lok Sabha elections are being held,” said Anonymous. an Indian official told NDTV.
“We have been monitoring them. Their activities are coming close to groups seeking to sabotage India’s standing in the world,” the official said.
Indian officials also condemned the US State Department’s recent report on the decline in religious freedom in Manipur as a “grossly biased” document that “reflects a very poor understanding of India” and said He suggested that the real reason why the violence erupted was because of the Indian police’s actions. He did an admirable job of shutting down the drug trade and depriving the Kuki of much-needed income.
christian marked On May 3, the first anniversary of the Manipur riots, an interfaith prayer gathering was held at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in New Delhi. The service was led by Kuki refugees dressed in black, singing hymns and leading a candlelit procession.
“Churches, civil society and other organizations are doing their best to provide comfort and relief to those affected. We pray that the displaced people can return to their homes. Let us expel hatred from our hearts and inspire everyone to live in peace, harmony and brotherhood,” Anil J. Coote, Archbishop of Delhi, Secretary-General of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, told the gathering.
“As we join together in this solemn candlelight prayer, our hearts are heavy as we feel the burden of the suffering endured by the people of Manipur,” said event organizer Father Norbert of Missionaries of the Divine Word.・Father Herman said. “For the past year, violence has threatened their lives and cast a shadow of fear and anxiety on their path. In this darkness, we come together to shine a light on their journey towards healing and peace. I offer my prayers as a light of hope.”
Meitei has its own support group, the Global Meitei Alliance (GMA). On Thursday, the group Asked The United Nations has called for an investigation into satellite images purporting to show large opium poppy fields in Kuki-controlled hills, as well as allegations that American agencies are supplying weapons to Kuki militants.
GMA “strongly condemned” NAMTA’s parliamentary testimony as “blatant distortion of facts and deceptive narrative surrounding the ongoing unrest in Manipur”.
GMA called on agencies like USCIRF to reject claims that Christian minorities are being persecuted in Manipur as “completely false” and called NAMTA a group of “Kuki sects” who are spreading “false propaganda”. It was dismissed as a fringe group.
The Meitei Alliance says the real story in Manipur is that Kuki “expansionists” are trying to create a secessionist state called “Zarengam” by dividing the established territories of India, Myanmar and Bangladesh, with Manipur as its epicenter. , he said. ”
