Violence in Jiribam: How the Attack on Hmar Village Escalated Ethnic Tensions in Manipur
Jiribam/New Delhi: The ongoing Meitei-Kuki ethnic violence in Manipur, which has raged since May 2023, escalated dramatically on November 7 in Jiribam district, located 220 kilometers from Imphal, on the Assam-Manipur border. In less than two weeks, at least 19 people have been killed, including 10 Kuki men, whom police have labeled “militants,” while Kuki tribes have argued they were “village volunteers.”
Jiribam, a multi-ethnic district with a National Highway crucial to Manipur’s connectivity with Assam, had largely remained peaceful for over a year until June. That peace was shattered when the body of a Kuki teenager was discovered in a river, triggering a violent chain of events. Kuki civil society groups claimed the teenager was killed by a Meitei armed group, while Meitei groups accused Kuki militants of retaliating with the killing of a Meitei man.
Despite these accusations, the police have not been able to conclusively identify the perpetrators in many of these incidents. What followed was a storm of social media videos, photos, and voice messages, each claiming to reveal the truth behind the violence. While some could be cross-checked, much of the content remains unverifiable, leaving the narratives to swirl uncontrollably.
The November 7 Attack on Hmar Village
The violence reached new depths on November 7, when a Meitei woman from the Hmar tribe, a mother of three and a school teacher, was allegedly raped, shot, killed, and then set on fire by suspected Meitei militants in Jiribam’s Zairawn village. This attack, which also involved the burning of several homes, marked a grim milestone in the ongoing cycle of violence.
Eyewitnesses claimed that the attack began late in the evening, with suspected Meitei militants setting fire to several homes, including the teacher’s house. The autopsy report confirmed that the teacher’s body was burned to the point of near-complete destruction, with broken bones and a separated skull. The police were unable to obtain samples to confirm the rape allegation due to the extent of the burns. The teacher’s husband, in his First Information Report (FIR), had made the rape claim.
The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) and other Kuki groups have alleged that the Meitei armed group Arambai Tenggol (AT) was responsible for the attack. The AT, which calls itself a volunteer group, claims to defend the Meitei community in response to what it sees as security failures in Meitei villages along the Kuki foothills. The Kuki tribes also maintain armed groups, which the Meitei accuse of working with well-trained militants.
Witness Accounts: A Night of Terror
The school teacher, 31, taught at the Hermon Dew English Junior High School, located about 400 meters from her home, which was reduced to ashes in the attack. A college student from the village, who attended the same school, recalled how his own family barely escaped the violence, running barefoot to nearby forests as gunfire rained down on the village.
Villagers had not expected an attack that night, as gunfire had ceased in the area for nearly a month. Many had recently returned to Zairawn from refuge in Assam’s Cachar district, reassured by the presence of CRPF security forces. “We never thought that anything like this could happen,” said the student, who witnessed the horrors that night.
The attack began at around 9 p.m. when gunfire erupted from the Mongbung Meitei Leikai area. Within minutes, at least 100 armed Meitei men entered Zairawn, shooting at homes and looting valuables. Eyewitnesses claimed that the teacher’s family, despite hearing gunfire, stayed in their home. When the attackers arrived, they entered the house and shot the teacher in the leg. Her husband tried to carry her to safety, but he was forced to leave her behind to protect their children. Witnesses shared videos of the attack, some of which appeared to have been filmed by the attackers themselves.
“The attackers were speaking in Meeteilon, the Meitei language, and there were videos showing some of them arguing about whether to kill the villagers,” the college student said. “Unfortunately, we don’t know exactly what happened next, but we know that the teacher’s body was found burned, and her family was devastated.”
Allegations of CRPF Inaction
Some Hmar villagers have alleged that the CRPF stationed in Zairawn failed to intervene during the attack. The attackers set fire to 19 houses, looted cash, stole mobile phones, gas cylinders, and vehicles, and killed several village dogs.
The trauma of the night was profound, with villagers expressing disbelief that such violence could unfold in their community. “It was like a nightmare come true,” said one local resident.
The violence didn’t stop there. The day after the Zairawn attack, a Meitei woman was shot dead while working in a paddy field in Bishnupur, allegedly by Kuki militants. Kuki groups denied responsibility, pointing to the long distance from the hills to the paddy field, while Meitei civil society groups suggested the shooting was a result of Kuki insurgents clashing with central forces.
On November 10, 10 suspected Kuki militants were killed by CRPF forces in Jiribam’s Borobekra area. The same day, six members of a Meitei family were taken hostage by suspected Kuki militants. Two elderly members of the family were reportedly killed before the militants fled by boat via the Barak River. Kuki groups have demanded an investigation into the CRPF’s actions during this encounter.
In the aftermath, at least five churches were reportedly set on fire in Jiribam by Meitei miscreants, while more bodies were discovered in a river, further fueling the cycle of violence that had begun on November 7.
A Family Grieves Amidst the Chaos
The teacher, who was survived by her husband and three young children, is remembered as a victim caught in the crossfire of an ethnic conflict that has shattered the lives of so many in the region. A photograph taken in November shows her children standing around her gravestone, their faces etched with sorrow, as their father stands behind them, staring into the distance, a broken man.
The ongoing violence in Jiribam and beyond illustrates the deepening ethnic rifts and the devastating impact on local communities, as innocent lives continue to be lost in this tragic cycle of retaliation and retribution.
