New Delhi: Unrest in the north-eastern state of Manipur has now continued for over a month after ethnic clashes broke out on May 3 following a demonstration by tribals organised in the ten hill districts of the state to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The clashes between the two communities have mirrored the sentiments of students from the state living far away in the national capital who said relations between them are not like before anymore.
One of the reasons behind the relations turning sour between students from the two communities, as per what they told ABP Live, was a brawl that took place on May 6 on the North Campus of Delhi University. Kuki students residing on the North Campus alleged that they were attacked by a group of Meitei students on the night of May 6 after Kuki students were returning from a prayer.
The incident was confirmed to ABP Live by students from both communities. A Kuki student, who did not wish to be named, her juniors experienced were accosted by Meitei students who asked for their identity cards and then “harassed” them. Yengkhom Gunchenba, a student from the Meitei community, also confirmed the incident.
There are 5,000 to 10,000 students from Manipur studying in Delhi, according to reports.
‘Relations Not Like Before’
The Kuki student quoted above told ABP Live that she did not feel safe initially after the May 6 incident, and avoided talking with students from the other community. “It’s not like we hate them (Meiteis) but it’s not (relations) that normal,” she said, adding: “Even if we meet, we don’t talk.”
“Since we have the same features and are from the same place, we were like brothers and sisters and felt quite safe to even see them, but now it’s the other way round,” she said.
“As of now, everything is very tense so we try to avoid communicating with each other,” said Lalboi, an assistant professor in Manipur’s Churachandpur, the epicentre of the violence. “I had Meitei friends but we don’t talk as of now,” said Lalboi from the Paite tribe, an ally of Kukis, who had lived in Delhi from his graduation days.
“Initially I spoke with my Meitei friends, they were also worried and blamed their community but gradually the communication died down,” he added.
Another Masters’s student from the Kuki community studying at Delhi University said relations between him and his Meitei friends are “quite different” now. “We were classmates and did what classmates usually do — talk about the subject, our life, hobbies, and planning to go out. But now it has changed 180 degrees,” he told ABP Live, adding that the change happened “overnight”.
For some students like Ngamboi Haokip, his friend’s take on the issue has taken precedence to decide the future of his ties. Since the May violence, he has not been able to contact her only Meitei’s friend and fears her “falling for the propaganda”.
“If she joins Meiteis propaganda, which most of the people I would say are following, I don’t think I will have a very good relationship with her,” said the Ph.D. student from DU.
‘Taboo Topic’
Ningthem, a PhD student at Jawaharlal Nehru University belonging to the Meitei community, said he was not sure if the relations have changed between him and his Kuki friends but it’s true that they don’t talk about the issue even though they meet on the campus.
“I do speak to them and hang out but not off campus…we usually speak about PhDs and other stuff not about the violence, it has become a taboo topic,” he said.
Yengkhom Gunchenba, a Meitei student leader from Delhi, said he has not talked to his Kuki friends since the violence broke out and was evidently disappointed with some of them “taking sides.”
“I am not okay with people taking sides, Meiteis were also attacked and so were Kukis. We must be in solidarity with victims and not play the victim card, this won’t work in the long run,” he said.
Another Meitei student from JNU, who requested not to be named, also said she won’t talk about the issue with her Kuki counterparts, adding: “I think our relationship won’t improve in the future, I won’t be that close anymore.”
Feelings Not Too Extreme
Kukis and Meiteis, far away from their home, seem not to be on the same page right now, but the feelings are evidently not too hard. The Kuki student from DU quoted above said he had to mute the social media posts of his Meitei friends for “mental peace” but does not want to cut them out completely.
“I don’t want to be the first one,” he said when asked about why he did not unfriend them but just muted their posts. “I don’t want to be cut off from them,” he said.
A similar opinion was voiced by Gunchenba who said he would try talking to the other side once the situation calms down. “I am still friends with them, maybe I’ll talk to them once the situation calms down. Why should I cut them off?”
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