The Union Ministry of Home Affairs claimed in a recent presentation to the Standing Committee on Home Affairs that just 38 civilians were killed in the North East in 2023, reported The Hindu on Tuesday, quoting unidentified sources.
The presentation was made by Home Secretary Govind Mohan, who failed to mention the toll of ethnic clashes that broke out between Manipur’s Meitei and Kuki communities in May 2023, killing at least 237 persons and displacing more than 59,000 others.
A total of 160 persons were killed in the state between May 3 and December 31, 2023, The Hindu reported, citing data tabled by the Union government in Parliament.
Mohan reportedly claimed in his presentation that there has been an 82% reduction in civilian killings in the North East since 2014, when 212 fatalities were recorded, according to the newspaper.
The presentation was met with criticism from Opposition MPs.
“It is a brazen omission,” an unidentified MP who is part of the Standing Committee was quoted as saying by The Hindu. “How can the Home Ministry talk about the North East, without speaking about Manipur which continues to burn?”
The ministry also claimed a 71% reduction in insurgency incidents in the North East, from 824 incidents in 2014 to 243 in 2023.
There has been a 60% reduction in deaths of security personnel, from 20 in 2014 to eight in 2023, claimed the ministry.
When the Union government’s initiatives for women’s safety came up for discussion, the Opposition MPs steered the dialogue back to the topic of Manipur.
Quoting unidentified sources, The Hindu reported that a Trinamool Congress MP spoke about two women being killed in Manipur just last week.
On November 7, a woman, identified as Zosangkim, was killed by suspected Meitei militants in Zairon Hmar village of Jiribam district. She belonged to the Hmar community and worked as a teacher at a Christian missionary school. She was allegedly burned alive by members of the armed Meitei group Arambai Tenggol, an Assam Rifles official told Scroll.
Two days later, a woman farmer from the Meitei community was shot dead by suspected Kuki militants in Bishnupur district. The woman, along with other farmers, had been working in paddy fields in the Saiton area when militants opened fire from hill-based positions.
“How can you pat your back on women’s safety, without taking into account what is happening to women in Manipur,” the unidentified Trinamool Congress MP reportedly said.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!