Uchathol

On 3 May 2023, major ethnic violence broke out between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities of Manipur. Within weeks over 100 people died and 60,000 people got displaced. All the Kuki-Zo people in the Imphal Valley and the Meitei people in the Kuki-Zo-dominated hill districts were forced to flee to the other side. The Jiribam district, consisting of both the classes of population but also other communities such as Bengalis, was affected in a unique fashion.

During the first week of violence, Meitei mobs led by the Arambai Tenggol militia attacked Kuki-Zo localities in the Jiribam Town. The security forces quickly controlled the violence and brokered a peace agreement between the communities.^[9] Phaitol was at the forefront of these efforts as a meeting of Kuki-Zo people at the village was addressed the deputy commissioner of Tamenglong.^[10] The peace agreement held for almost a year. Even though there were sporadic incidents such as house burning and abduction, there were no deaths.^[9][11]

The peace was shattered by twin murders in May–June 2024. The first was of a Kuki individual named Seigoulen Singson from Phaitol.^[9] He went missing on 14 May, and his body was discovered floating in Jiri River three days later near Muolzawl.^[12][13] A second death occurred on 6 June, that of a Meitei individual named Soibam Saratkumar Singh from Hilghat area^[a] who went missing while returning from his farm. His two-wheeler and slippers were found near the CRPF camp in Uchathol, the likely place of his abduction, and the body was found near Mullargao.^[14][15] Within an hour rumours spread on social media that his body was found beheaded, and in another hour, widespread arson broke out in Jiribam as Meitei mobs started attacking Kuki-Zo settlements and churches.^[9][16]

According to the Kuki Inpi of the region, all Kuki-Zo settlements in the Jiribam town, including in Uchathol, were attacked simultaneously and burnt down.^[17][11] In the ensuing mayhem, over a thousand Kuki-Zo people, mainly Hmars and Thadou Kukis, from Jiribam fled to Assam's Cachar district. A Hmar village called Hmarkhawlien near Lakhipur became their refuge.^[9][18]

On 13 June, the Kuki-Zo villagers imposed a blockade of NH-37 near the Tatbung village to protest the Jiribam violence.^[19] It was lifted for two days and reimposed again on 20 June, citing the reason that Meitei mobs were blockading medical and essential supplies to the Kuki-Zo villages.^[20][21] On that day, there were also allegations that the Kuki armed men set ablaze an empty narcotics checkpost and that the Manipur police commands and Meitei militants fired upon the Phaitol village indiscriminately.^[20][21] The blockade was lifted two days later after the central security forces signed a memorandum of understanding agreeing to the demands made by the blockading population.^[22]