A day after Meitei radical outfit Arambai Tenggol summoned 37 MLAs of Manipur and at least two MPs to administer them an oath to “convey the people’s concerns to the Centre”, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday said that the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president K. Meghachandra had been brutally assaulted at this meeting in Imphal’s Kangla Fort.
Mr. Ramesh, Congress’ secretary-in-charge, communication, said in a post on X on Thursday evening, “The Indian National Congress strongly condemns the brutal physical assault on Manipur PCC President K. Meghachandra, in a meeting of all-party MLAs/MPs/Ministers, under full security protection of state and central forces, at Kangla in Imphal yesterday. The PM, however, continues with his eloquent silence on the enormous tragedy that has overtaken Manipur.”
Arambai Tenggol has been at the Centre of the ongoing ethnic violence in the State between the dominant valley-based Meitei people and the Scheduled Tribe, hills-based Kuki-Zo people. Multiple FIRs registered over the looting of arms and ammunition in the early days of the conflict mention Arambai Tenggol and Meetei Leepun as outfits that were responsible for the lootings.
Amid the ongoing tensions in the State, the Arambai Tenggol had called for a meeting with the MLAs and MPs, which included former Congress CM O. Ibobi Singh, MPCC chief Meghachandra, Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, and Rajya Sabha MP Leishemba Sanajaoba, among others.
However, a day after this meeting, eyewitness accounts and a video going viral on social media showed armed men assaulting some of the MLAs present at the meeting, including Mr. Meghachandra. One of these eyewitness accounts alleged that an MLA was kicked and punched, after which a gun was also pointed at them. Another MLA was allegedly slapped, while other MLAs who were trying to stop the Arambai Tenggol members were threatened.
At the meeting, the MPs and MLAs were administered an oath, which required the legislators to assure that they will take their demands to the Centre. Among the demands raised were the suspension of SoO agreement with Kuki groups, fencing of the India-Myanmar border, completing the National Register of Citizens (NRC), replacing Assam Rifles in the State, and delisting “Kuki illegal immigrants” from the ST list.
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Soon after the event was over on Wednesday, Kuki-Zo civil society organisations across the State strongly condemned it whereas at least one civil society organisation representing the Meitei community endorsed it.
“Today’s events have shown that Manipur’s government has submitted its authority to an armed militant group,” the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum of Churachandpur district said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Meitei Alliance, a civil society organisation (CSO) comprising Meitei people from India and the United Kingdom, endorsed the resolution passed at the meeting in Kangla Fort. In a statement issued early on Thursday morning, the Meitei Alliance called the meeting an “unprecedented event marked by placing patriotism, nationalism, and collective will above all other loyalties”.
