Manipur’s Unheard Agony: A Genocide In The Shadow Of Silence – OpEd

As the embers of ethnic violence consume Manipur, the unspeakable horrors faced by the Kuki Christian community reveal a chilling parallel to one of the darkest chapters in modern history—the Rwandan genocide. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s eerie silence stretching over two years, India witnesses a dangerous normalization of majoritarian politics, where the government’s inaction and tacit complicity in ethnic cleansing exposes deep fissures in its democratic fabric.

Manipur’s Unfolding Tragedy: A State on Fire

The picturesque hills of Manipur, once symbols of India’s northeastern serenity, have become the epicentre of a brutal ethnic conflict that has spiralled into genocide. The Kukis, a predominantly Christian tribal community, have been subject to systematic violence—rape, murder, and displacement on an unimaginable scale. For two harrowing years, the central government’s response has been chilling silence. Prime Minister Modi, often vocal on matters of national pride and international stature, has chosen to remain mute as his country bleeds.

The Genocide of Kukis: A Reflection of Rwanda

Comparisons to the 1994 Rwandan genocide are not made lightly. Yet, the unfolding crisis in Manipur echoes Rwanda's horrors, where political neglect fuelled a cycle of ethnic slaughter. The Kuki community, isolated and targeted, faces systemic extermination akin to the Tutsi genocide. The orchestrated campaign of violence, marked by mass rapes and murders, bears the hallmarks of a genocidal intent to eliminate a people—erasing their homes, culture, and humanity.

In Manipur, the signs are unmistakable: the calculated use of violence to create fear, the breakdown of law enforcement, and the state's implicit backing of the dominant Meitei Hindu majority in their assaults on Kuki settlements. The government’s lack of response has become a damning indictment of India’s political machinery.

Majoritarian Politics: Modi’s Silence and the BJP’s Role

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence is more than a political miscalculation—it is a reflection of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) dangerous flirtation with majoritarianism. For over two years, the Prime Minister, known for his ability to swiftly address crises and galvanize public support, has chosen to distance himself from the Manipur crisis, allowing the situation to fester. His silence, eerily reminiscent of the Gujarat pogrom in 2002 during his tenure as Chief Minister, hints at a deeper strategy where political gains outweigh human costs.

The BJP’s politics, rooted in Hindu nationalism, have long been accused of turning a blind eye to the rights and plights of minorities. In Manipur, this has manifested as the systematic sidelining of the Kuki community while backing the Meitei majority, whose leaders and armed groups have been accused of orchestrating the violence. This isn’t merely a failure of governance—it is a calculated political stance that reinforces the BJP's brand of majoritarian rule, where Hindu dominance is seen as central to national identity.

The Politics of Violence: Manipur’s Economic and Social Collapse

The crisis in Manipur has more than just an ethnic dimension. It is a socio-economic catastrophe. The state, already one of India’s most underdeveloped regions, has seen its economy grind to a halt. Businesses are shuttered, farms abandoned, and entire communities displaced. The lack of employment opportunities, combined with rampant corruption in local administration, has fuelled resentment between different ethnic groups.

But the economic hardships are only part of the larger story. The social fabric of Manipur, once a mosaic of diverse cultures and communities, has been torn apart. The Kukis, forced into refugee camps and makeshift shelters, are not just victims of violence but of a state that has failed to protect its citizens. The systematic erasure of their existence from their ancestral lands and the lack of justice for the atrocities committed against them has only deepened the scars of a forgotten people.

A Complicit System: Police and Administration’s Failure

The inaction of local and federal law enforcement has further exacerbated the crisis. Reports of police officers turning a blind eye or, worse, actively participating in the violence against the Kukis have surfaced repeatedly. The state’s administrative machinery has all but collapsed, with federal intervention coming too little, too late. This systemic failure mirrors the events of Gujarat in 2002, where Modi, then Chief Minister, was accused of allowing anti-Muslim pogroms to unfold under his watch.

In Manipur, the police, already accused of being complicit in the violence, have been ineffective in curbing the spread of armed vigilante groups. The federal government’s decision to not intervene with greater force has raised troubling questions about its willingness to let such a crisis continue. India, which once prided itself on being a pluralistic democracy, now seems to be slipping towards a model where violence is used as a tool of political control.

The Path Ahead: Will Manipur’s Voice Be Heard?

Manipur’s crisis is not just an ethnic or regional issue; it is a moral litmus test for India. The state’s descent into chaos, the genocide of the Kukis, and the central government’s silence speak to a broader decay within India’s democratic institutions. The country’s reputation as the world’s largest democracy is being called into question as the rights of its minorities are trampled upon in favor of a narrow, majoritarian agenda.

Prime Minister Modi’s silence is not just political negligence—it is a message. It is a message to India’s minorities that their lives, culture, and identity are secondary in the grand narrative of a Hindu majoritarian state. If the world and India’s own citizens continue to ignore the plight of the Kukis, the violence in Manipur could very well be a harbinger of darker times ahead.

A Nation on the Brink

The genocide unfolding in Manipur, marked by the rape, murder, and forced displacement of the Kuki community, is a chilling reminder of the cost of majoritarian politics. Prime Minister Modi’s silence, the failure of law enforcement, and the BJP’s calculated political stance all signal a dangerous shift in India’s democratic trajectory. As the world watches, India must decide whether it will stand up for its most vulnerable citizens or allow itself to be consumed by the fires of violence and division.