Manipur’s Meitei community is planning to review the merger agreement with India after 74 years since its signing in 1949. A leader of Meitei FAMBEI, an assembly of the Meitei population reportedly said that the ongoing conflict is a fallout of the divide-and-rule policy which was adopted by the Indian government in Manipur years ago.

The leader of the Meiteri FAMBEI body, Ningthouja Lancha criticised the Central government’s failure to recognise Manipur’s political issues and framing them as mere law and order problems. This comes in the backdrop of the repeated requests by the community to seek ST status which has fallen on deaf ears.

Lancha said that Manipur’s challenges are not merely internal but are also rooted in geopolitical situations developing out of closeness with Myanmar and China. He said that there is an urgent need to bring back life to community living and politics to safeguard society and its future.

Lancha added that the decisions taken in this regard at the Leikai/Khul (locality in Manipuri) level will be considered at a higher level. He said that at an assembly of the adult Meitei Population, Meitei FAMBEI will review the merger agreement signed with the Union of India. 

Meanwhile, a similar demand has been raised by the female traders in violence-hit Manipur. A protest was organised under the aegis of the Manipur Women Convention in Imphal’s Ima market demanding a review of the merger agreement.

“Enforce the law of the land at Tengnoupal, Churachandpur, and Kangpokpi,” “Deploy state forces at Moreh,” “Stop using Indian security forces against the Meiteis,” and “Go back Assam Rifles” were the demands raised in the protest.

This comes two days after a march was conducted by Meitei women on 17th July who walked with torches and formed human chains taking to the streets of Imphal. The community has been questioning the government over its handling of the situation.

Manipur was hit by violence in May following a rally by tribal communities, particularly Kuki tribes against the demand and support for demand by Meiteis for Scheduled Tribe status.

The merger agreement

While most of India gained independence from the British on 15th August 1947, several states and regions joined the union later. Manipur was one of such states. During the British rule in India, Manipur was a British Protectorate. It became a Protectorate in 1824 after repeated Burmese invasions during the rule of King Gambhir Singh. After Gambhir Singh, several kings ruled Manipur, similar to how princely states were run by kings in various regions of India during the British Raj.

When the British left India in 1947, Manipur became an ‘independent’ state, ruled by Maharaja Bodhchandra Singh, however, this lasted for a short period. On 11 August 1947, the Maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession introduced by India, under which it became an independent state, except for matters related to defence, external affairs and communication which were handed over to the Union of India. The state had its own constitution.

However, in 1949, the Maharaja Bodhchandra Singh signed a Merger Agreement with the Union of India on 21 September 1949, which became effective on 15 October that year. The agreement said, “His Highness the Maharajah of Manipur hereby cedes to the Dominion Government full and exclusive authority, jurisdiction and powers for and in relation to the governance of the State and agrees to transfer the administration of the State to the Dominion Government on the fifteenth day of October 1949.”

According to the agreement, Manipur merged with India as a Part C State, becoming a centrally ruled territory, and the assembly was resolved. It is alleged by some that Maharaja Bodhchandra Singh was coerced into signing the merger agreement.

Manipur was made a union territory in 1963, the assembly and council of ministers were established in 1963, and it got full statehood in 1972.

What does the World Meetei Council say on the issue?

World Meetei Council’s (WMC) Secretary General, Yambem Arun Meetei in an exclusive conversation with OpIndia said that the classification of Meitei community as General, OBC, SC as per the Hindu caste system is a serious mistake. “Our conversion to Hinduism in the 18th century made us Aryans is not true. Therefore all the Meetei should be included in ST list, not in General, not in OBC, not in Scheduled Caste.” he said.

When asked why he thinks Kukis are against giving ST status to Meiteis, the (WMC) Secretary General said, “Chin-Kuki-Zomi are immigrants in Manipur. And immigrants according to the law cannot be ST.” Yambem Arun Meetei said that the Kukis should be grateful to Manipur for giving them citizenship. “They should respect the law of the land. The fact is their homeland is Myanmar,” he said.

Sharing further details about the Chikumi tribes, Yambem said that the Chin-Kuki-Zomi tribes originally belonged to the neighbouring Burma/Myanmar’s Chin state and Sagaing division. “They first came to Manipur in the 18th century. According to the accounts recorded by the British and also by the Meetei king’s record, Cheitharol Kumpaba. Even today the majority of Chin-Kuki-Zomi live in Myanmar. In the last Myanmarese parliament there were two members of parliament from among them. Therefore it can be safely said that Meetei and Chin-Kuki-Zomi have been living together for the last three centuries but 70 percent of the present population of them have migrated to Manipur after 1950,” he said.

When asked if he thinks religion has a role to play in the conflict along with ethnicity, Yambem said religion doesn’t have much to do with it. He said, “It’s a clash between the Meetei people’s aspiration for a peaceful Manipur and the dream of a Kukiland planned by immigrant Chin-Kuki-Zomi people. They also claim to be Jewish descendants and some thousands have already migrated to Israel, records of which are available in the home ministry, government of India.”

He said that the Indian government can deliver justice by including the Meetei in the list of Scheduled Tribes first. “Meetei community is seriously urging the centre to do justice. In their own home state Meetei are not rightful citizens as Meetei are put in the general category because of our Hindu religion because our Hinduism do not allow us to be ST. The choice is between our survival and our Hindu religion. This is damaging. This Meetei cannot take it any more,” Yambem concluded.

The history of Meiteis

WMC Secretary General shared in great details the ancestry of the Meitei community of Manipur. He said, “Pakhangpa, the younger son of the Supreme God Sidapa Mapu and his wife Leimalen Sidapi, had seven sons named KHUMAN, MANGANG, LUWANG, ANGOM, KHAPA-NGANPA, MOILANG and SALANG-LEISHANGTHEM who became the progenitors of Meiteis – SALAI TARET that is, the Seven clans of Meetei people. Thus all Meiteis belong to the Seven Clans. In other words Meetei are the descendants of seven clans.

Meitei is a sports lover community of Manipur which contributes to India’s Sports. According to the Meitei mythology, there was a Supreme God known as Sidapa Mapu and his wife Leimalen Sidapi. They had two sons, Sanamahi and Pakhangpa. Between the two, Sanamahi was the elder. When the Supreme God Sidapa Mapu decided that the time has come to hand over his responsibility to one of his sons, he said he will give the responsibility to the one who can go around the world seven times first.

So, the elder son Sanamahi, who is stronger, had started to go around the world seven times. After he had completed the seven rounds, he returned to his father Sitapa Mapu but to his shock, found his younger brother Pakhangpa sitting on the throne to be the protector. A war was about to begin but Sidapa Mapu, the Supreme God, arrived in time and he told his elder son Sanamahi how he had to give the throne to his younger brother because their mother had told his younger brother, who was not as strong as the elder brother, that going around the throne of their father, the Supreme God, is equal to going around the earth.

Therefore their father, the Supreme God, had persuaded Sanamahi to accept what had happened. But he said to his elder son that from “today you will be the king for every home”, and Sanamahi agreed. Till today every Meitei Home worships Sanamahi as the God who takes care of every Meetei Home. Thus Pakhangpa, the second son, is the protector of the human world.