Viral letter does not mention all Kukis in Manipur as refugees from Myanmar - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 25, 2023
An image of a letter dated 1968 is currently being widely shared on social media platforms, claiming to show that the Kuki tribes living in Manipur came from the neighbouring country Burma (Myanmar) as refugees and were later granted ST (Scheduled Tribe) quota in India in 1968, allowing them to enjoy various advantages and perks. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Kuki tribes living in Manipur came from the Burma (Myanmar) as refugees and were later granted ST (Scheduled Tribe) quota in India in 1968.
Fact: The letter does not mention the entire Kukis in Manipur as refugees. Previous letters related to the viral letter indicate that the District Commissioner of Manipur was implementing the humanitarian aid provided by the Indian Government to the Kukis of Myanmar, who were forced to flee to Manipur in 1967 during the Khadawmi operation in Myanmar. Moreover, the Kuki tribes were granted the ST status in India as early as 1950 and and they have existed in the Manipur kingdom for many centuries. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
The Kuki people are an ethnic group inhabiting India’s northeastern states, including Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura, and Nagaland. The Kukis are one of several hill tribes found in India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. Although the term “Kuki” was not coined by the ethnic group itself, the tribes associated with it came to be generically called Kuki under colonial rule. The book titled ‘Frontier and Overseas Expeditions from India,‘ published in 1907, initially mentions (P.235) Kukis as inhabitants of the Lushai hills (in Mizoram) as early as 1777. Furthermore, there are references to the Kuki people being present during various kingdoms (now extinct or annexed in India) since the 1820s.
Moreover, the Kuki tribes were granted the ST (Scheduled Tribe) status (in Assam) as early as 1950 in “The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950,” well before the formation of the Manipur state in 1972.
Furthermore, according to media reports, the previous letters related to the viral letter indicate that the District Commissioner of Manipur was implementing the humanitarian aid provided by the Indian Government to the Kukis of Myanmar, who were forced to flee to Manipur in 1967 during the Khadawmi operation in Myanmar (as mentioned earlier, Kukis are spread over India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar). However, it is essential to note that the letters do not mention the entire Kukis in Manipur as refugees.
To sum it up, the viral letter only refers to the refugees from Myanmar who belong to the Kuki Community and does not categorize the entire Kuki community in the state as refugees.