Naorem Ibomcha Meitei, the owner of a house demolished with explosives in Churachandpur, has expressed deep sorrow and frustration over the incident, which was widely circulated on social media. In a heartfelt statement, the 43-year-old described the devastation of seeing his home, a place filled with childhood memories and ancestral heritage, destroyed. “It breaks my heart to see my home blown to pieces. This is not just my home but a memory of my childhood and our forefathers,” Meitei lamented. He compared the destruction to ethnic cleansing, something he never imagined would happen to him and fellow Meiteis in Churachandpur. Meitei criticized the security forces for their alleged inaction in preventing the systematic demolition of homes in Churachandpur, while houses of Kuki people in Imphal and other districts were reportedly protected. “What was most heartbreaking was the security forces didn’t do anything to prevent this systematic demolition. If they can protect the houses of Kukis in Imphal and other districts, why can’t they protect hundreds of Meitei homes in Churachandpur?” he questioned.
Meitei pointed out that Churachandpur MLA L.M. Khuate is a former DGP, and the DGP in May 2023 was another Kuki, P. Doungel. He expressed confidence that they could have prevented the demolition had they wanted to.He urged the authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice, alleging that the use of explosives indicated involvement of trained Kuki terrorists. “We have been calling for an end to the ceasefire with Kuki terrorist groups for a long time,” Meitei added. Meitei, who was born and raised in Churachandpur, ran a licensed gun shop that was allegedly vandalized and looted by Kukis during the violence that erupted on May 3, 2023. He recounted years of discrimination faced by Meiteis and other non-Kuki communities living in Kuki-dominated areas, including being denied rights, mocked for their faith, and having their livelihoods disrupted.
He claimed that Meiteis in Kuki areas were often denied access to markets, had their shops taken over, and were subjected to illegal taxes by Kuki terrorist groups. “No one ever bothered to hear about our plight just because we were seen as the majority community, which is a big lie,” Meitei asserted. He highlighted the tragic irony of being mislabeled as a majority while living as a minority in Kuki-dominated areas.
