NEW DELHI: Manipur Tribals Forum, Delhi has accused the state government of supporting Meitei insurgent groups “in its quest of ethnic cleansing”.
This allegation was made by the Manipur Tribals Forum, Delhi while briefing the media in New Delhi on Wednesday (May 31).
The leaders of the tribal body alleged that “Meitei insurgents, supported by Manipur government, are targeting people belonging to the Kuki, Mizo, Zomi and Hmar tribes”.
The Manipur Tribals Forum, Delhi also stated that the “level of violence perpetrated against the tribal communities in the state is so high that it has become impossible to live alongside the majority Meitie community”.
The tribal body claimed that over 100 tribal villages across Manipur were attacked by miscreants “as part of Manipur government’s ethnic cleansing” initiative.
“Over 4000 houses belonging to tribals were set on fire by Meitei mobs that were supported by the Manipur government,” a leader of the tribal body stated while speaking to media persons.
Furthermore, the Manipur Tribals Forum, Delhi accused media houses in Manipur and others operating from outside the state of being biased and selective while reporting the turmoil in the state.
It accused the majority of the media outlets of not reporting on the plight of the tribals.
“Media is in the hands of the majority (Meitei),” said a leader of the Manipur Tribals Forum, Delhi.
Notably, Manipur has been on the boil since May 3 after clashes broke out between two communities in state and subsequent large-scale violence.
Nearly 100 people lost their lives and thousands of people were displaced following the clashes and subsequent violence in the state.