Kangvai

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Coordinates: 24°26′38″N 93°42′27″E / 24.4440°N 93.7075°E / 24.4440; 93.7075
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Kangvai
Kangvai is located in Manipur
Kangvai
Kangvai
Location in Manipur, India
Kangvai is located in India
Kangvai
Kangvai
Kangvai (India)
Coordinates: 24°26′38″N 93°42′27″E / 24.4440°N 93.7075°E / 24.4440; 93.7075
CountryIndia
StateManipur
DistrictChurachandpur
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total939
Language(s)
 • OfficialMeitei (Manipuri)
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
Map

Kangvai[a] is a village in the Churachandpur district of Manipur, India. It is on the bank of the Kangvai stream that flows down from the eastern slopes of the Thangjing Hill. It is also the headquarters of the Kangvai Subdivison in the Churachandpur district. In the 2011 census, Kangvai had a population of 939 people.[1] According to many sources, the 2023–2024 Manipur violence began at Kangvai, causing most residents to abandon the village.

Geography[edit]

1944 Survey of India map of the region: the Kangvai settlements are shown to the east of Thangjing Hill, but not labelled

Kangvai is to the east of Thangjing Hill, one of the tallest peaks of the state, in Churachandpur district. It stretches east-west from the foothills to the Tedim Road. The area near Tedim Road is referred to as "Kangvai Bazar", which is said to be about 1 km north of Torbung.[2] Torbung is considered to be partly in the Bishnupur district, even though it is to the south of Kangvai. This results in a complex boundary between two districts. Immediately to the north of Kangvai is a village called Phugakchao Ikhai, which is considered to be in Bushnupur district.

Kangvai is on the bank of the Kangvai stream, which flows down from the Tangjing Hill and drains into the Loktak Lake, but most of the water is used up for cultivation.

Kangvai is populated by a majority of Kuki tribal population,[3] predominantly Vaiphei people.[4] It is listed as a census village in the Churachandpur district, with a population of 939 in 2011.[1] It is also the headquarters of the Kangvai Subdivision in the Churachandpur district, which includes 66 villages.

History[edit]

Kangvai is first seen mentioned during the Kuki Rebellion of 1917–1919 (also called Anglo-Kuki War). In the Kuki war preparations in December 1917, the chief of Ukha (on the western slopes of the Thangjing Hill) sent 12 Kukis to collect his mithuns from Kangvai. They are said to have been fired upon by British troops, an action that so enraged the Kangvai Kukis that they joined the Ukha Kukis in their rebellion. On 19 December, the combined Kukis raided the Manipur State forest toll station at Ithai, presumably for arms and for neutralising the state forces.[5] On 25 December, the British Political Agent J. C. Higgins went with a force to the foothills of Thangjing Hill to punish the Ukha Kukis. The force was beaten back by sniper attacks and home-made leather cannons (pumpi).[6] Subsequently, the British gathered larger forces to attack Ukha and burnt down the village.

According to Kuki sources, in 1941–1942, the Manipur State Darbar delineated the borders of the area known as "Haokip Reserved" (the northern part of the present-day Churachandpur district), originally established by its president William Alexander Cosgrave in 1907.[7] The northern border of the reserve passed through Kangvai.[8]

Christianity had an early start in Kangvai, with the Welsh missionary Watkin Roberts having established a Bible School there. When Roberts decided to shift the school to Sielmat, near Lamka, as well as to establish his headquarters there, the Vaipheis of Kangvai were peeved and disowned him.[9] Nevertheless, the early adoption of Christianity helped the Vaipheis to get ahead in education. In 1968, Kaikhogin Vaiphei from Kangvai became the first Kuki to enter the Indian Foreign Service.[10] The Vaiphei Students Association, called Zillai, is based in Kangvai, and celebrated its 75th anniversary (Platinum Jubilee) in 2014.[11]

During World War II, the Tedim Road was laid by the British administration as part of its defence against Japanese invasion. The road-widening project in the Torbung area (between Oksonbung and Leisang) was contracted to Thawngzagin of Kangvai. The labourers were paid one and a half rupee as daily wages, which appears to have been exploitative.[12] When the British withdrew from Tedim to Imphal, seven decisive battles were fought along the Tedim Road. All the villages within seven kilometre distance of the road were asked to be evacuated within two days. The villagers of Kangvai mostly went to went to southwest Manipur to stay with relatives. The original intention appears to have to been to stay at Ukha Loikhai, on the western side of the Thangjing Hill, but the village did not have food supplies to support them and it was not considered safe enough either. Modern commentators notice that no refugee camps were set up anywhere in the vicinity.[13]

Recent history[edit]

Being on the border of the valley district of Bishnupur and hill district of Churachandpur, Kangvai is often a site of dispute and contestation. Bandhs (shutdowns) and blockades are conducted here as well as at Torbung as a way of asserting the rights and privileges of the valley and hill communities.

The 2023–2024 Manipur violence between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zo people is said to have started at Kangvai on 3 May 2023. On that day, between 11 am and 1 pm, Kukis held a protest march in the Churachandpur town against the Meitei demand for a Scheduled Tribe status. Kuki-Zo people from all parts of the district, including Kangvai, attended the march. The call for the march also generated a "counter response" by the Meitei according to the Union Home Ministry.[14] Reports were received of a counter-blockade at Torbung,[15][16] and a counter-agitation in the surrounding valley areas (such as the Kangvai village), where houses were attacked by Meitei mobs. The residents were seen fleeing their homes and gathering in the fields.[17] Two dead bodies were found by the police in Kangvai sometime between 1:30 pm and 2:15 pm, indicating the first victims in the violence.[18][19] According to Kukis, the police and commandos either stood aloof or sided with the attackers. The attackers moved back only after Kukis from neighbouring villages and towns came to confront them. But they came back around 8 pm after the police had left and burnt down more houses.[20]

The residents of Kangvai that fled on 3 May never returned to their homes. The area was apparently taken over by the Meiteis. Any vehicles coming from the Churachandpur side were checked by them. Kangvai thus became a transit point where human couriers sent by the officials from the two sides exchanged deliveries.[21] Sometime in June, the central armed forces defined a buffer zone between Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts, which included the Kangvai village.[22]

Kangvai Subdivision[edit]

During 2014–2015, the Government of Manipur created a Kangvai Subdivision in the Churachandpur district. The new subdivision includes 66 villages, which were previously under the Churachandpur Subdivision and the Henglep Subdivision. Initially, the Government planned to call the subdivision after the Thangjing Hill, using the Kuki spelling "Thangting" for it. The move was seen by the Meiteis as an attempt to rename their sacred hill, and led to protests. Eventually the government chose the neutral name [23][24][25][26]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Alternative spellings: "Kangwai" and "Kangbai".

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Churachandpur District Census Handbook (2011), p. 176
  2. ^ Deeptiman Tiwary (26 July 2023). "An arrest, crackdown and deep distrust: Manipur fire had been simmering for over a year". The Indian Express. ProQuest 2841943429.
  3. ^ Jon Suante (4 May 2023), "Manipur Govt Brings in Army, Assam Rifles to Curb Violence, CM Urges Peace on TV", The Wire
  4. ^ Singh, Rabikanta; Biladini Devi, Y. (2020), "Food Heritage of the Vaiphei in Manipur", in Sanjenbam Yaiphaba Meitei; Sarit K. Chaudhuri; M. C. Arunkumar (eds.), The Cultural Heritage of Manipur, Routledge, p. 210, ISBN 9781000296372
  5. ^ Guite, Fighting the White Men till the Last Bullet (2019), p. 46.
  6. ^ Guite, Fighting the White Men till the Last Bullet (2019), p. 47.
  7. ^ Haokip, Sielen (2012), "What Price, Twenty Years of Peace in Mizoram (1986–2006): A Kuki Perspective", in Thongkholal Haokip (ed.), The Kukis of Northeast India: Politics and Culture, Bookwell, p. 91, ISBN 9789380574448, During British rule a greater part of the hills surrounding Churachandpur was accorded the status of 'Haokip Reserve'.
  8. ^ Haokip, T. S. Letkhosei (2018), Ethnicity and Insurgency in Myanmar/Burma: A Comparative Study of the Kuki-Chin and Karen Insurgencies, Educreation Publishing, p. 128, As per Mr Cosgrave's Order Of 1907 in the document and the sketch Map drawn in 1941-42, signed and sealed by the president of the Manipur Hill Darbar, and the interview statement of Shri TL Thenkhomang Haokip (23 Nov 2010), Chief of Ukha-Loikhai village Churachandpur, Northern Haokip Reserved Land in Churachandpur covers the following areas; Seitol (Saiton) – Kangvai – Tingkai/Loibol bordering present Bishnupur district and Tamenglong district in the north, Leimata river in the west, Natyang-Koite in the south and Tuitha (Khuga) river in the east.
  9. ^ Jeyaseelan, L. (1996), Impact of the Missionary Movement in Manipur, New Delhi: Scholar Publishing House, p. 64
  10. ^ Henna Vaiphei, Advantages and disadvantages of impact of Christianity and Western culture among the Kukis with special reference to the Vaiphei tribe in Manipur, part 2, The Sangai Express, via e-pao.net, 26 August 2019.
  11. ^ CM Applauds Vaiphei Students` Organisation, Assures Upgradation Of Kangvai H/S, Kangla Online, 10 December 2014.
  12. ^ Vaiphei, Second World War and Southern Manipur (2022), p. 59.
  13. ^ Vaiphei, Second World War and Southern Manipur (2022), pp. 70–71.
  14. ^ Special Leave Petition (Civil) Diary No 19206 of 2023: Dinganglung Gangmei vs. Mutum Churamani Meetei & Others, The Supreme Court of India, August 2023. "... large-scale violence broke out in the State of Manipur on 03.05.2023 after a Tribal Solidarity March undertaken by All Tribal Students Union Manipur (ATSUM) in opposition to the demand for inclusion of the Meitei community in the list of Scheduled Tribes. The call for this march led to a counter response by Meiteis. Thereafter large-scale violence broke out in the State of Manipur...".
  15. ^ The Sangai Express & May 2023, Churachandpur section: "Reports about a clash between people who had imposed a counter-blockade at Torbung and those returning from the rally started doing the rounds at Torbung. The stand-off that initially started with pelting stones soon escalated with vehicles and properties being targeted. Violence and arson rapidly engulfed the neighbouring Kangvai area as people were seen leaving their homes and running into an open field."
  16. ^ Watch | Meitei Pride Group's Threat: 'Kukis Mainly Illegal, Modi Must Intervene or There'll Be Civil War’, The Wire, 6 June 2023. '[Pramot Singh is] also questioned about his tweet of May 2 (24 hours before the troubles began) where the Meitei Leepun official Twitter handle called for a counter-blockade adding, “it's our duty to enforce our position physically”.
  17. ^
    • The Sangai Express & May 2023, Moirang section: "Several houses, shops and vehicles have been torched at Torbung, Bangla, Kangvai and Phougakchao Ikhai situated along the adjoining areas of Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts.... It is reported that the properties were torched for launching a counter agitation against the Solidarity March of ATSUM."
    • The Sangai Express & May 2023, Churachandpur section: "Violence and arson rapidly engulfed the neighbouring Kangvai area as people were seen leaving their homes and running into an open field.""
    • Jon Suante (4 May 2023). "Manipur Govt Brings in Army, Assam Rifles to Curb Violence, CM Urges Peace on TV". The Wire. The miscreants' act resulted in a clash between the villagers of Churachandpur and Bishnpur districts, around Kangvai locality where the majority population belongs to the Kuki tribal community. Locals told The Wire their houses were burnt, forcing dozens of them to rush to nearby forests for shelter and safety.
    • Das, Yudhajit Shankar (4 May 2023). "Manipur violence: State is burning, but what is the decades-old fuel behind the fire". India Today. 'They [Meitei mobs] only moved back only after Kukis from neighbouring villages and towns came to confront them. The initial violence was in Kangvai village. Police and commandos remained mute spectators and sided with them as they went about ransacking and destroying houses. Over 30 people have been injured,' says [Kelvin Neihsial of All Manipur Tribal Union].
    • Lien Chongloi (27 May 2023). "Dispelling Some Misleading Claims About the Violence in Manipur". The Wire. According to eyewitness accounts, many Meitei volunteers who were held up at Kakwa [Kwakta] areas started moving towards Torbung and Kangvai areas and began torching Kuki houses. The first victim of that mob attack was Haopu Kipgen from Torbung Village; he was bludgeoned to death. The first casualty with torching of houses, therefore, was a Kuki.
    • Sudha Ramachandran (12 June 2023). "Kham Khan Suan Hausing on Why Manipur Is up in Flames". The Diplomat. These protest rallies were peaceful. Yet they were met with counter-blockades by various Meitei civil society organizations in various parts of the valley. Meitei miscreants burned down the Anglo-Kuki War (1917-19) Centenary Memorial Gate at Leisang village and beat up Kuki boys returning from a protest rally. Such incidents escalated into mob fighting. As the Meitei mobs burned down some Vaiphei-speaking houses in Kangvai village later, the ethnopolitical conflict spread like wildfire and transformed large parts of the state into killing fields.
    • Kham Khan Suan Hausing, Manipur riots: The chilling methods in the madness, The Indian Express, 5 May 2023. ProQuest 2809434306. "The immediate spark for the violence was provided by the retaliatory destruction of the Anglo-Kuki War Memorial Gate in Leisang and razing of Vaiphei houses in Kangvai village by Meitei mobs following the beating up of a Meitei driver whose tripper truck hit a bike and ran over a stock of water bottles kept for use by peaceful tribal protestors in Lamka on the same day."
  18. ^ Deeptiman Tiwary (26 July 2023). "An arrest, crackdown and deep distrust: Manipur fire had been simmering for over a year". The Indian Express. ProQuest 2841943429. Things began to turn ugly around 2.15 pm that day after a tyre was seen burning along the plaque of the Kuki War memorial gate near Torbung, kilometers ahead of Churachandpur. Around the same time, police found two bodies in Kangvai village, a kilometre away from Torbung. Following this, massive crowds began building up on the Torbung-Kangwai stretch of the Imphal-Churachandpur highway.
  19. ^ Lien Chongloi, Dispelling Some Misleading Claims About the Violence in Manipur, The Wire, 27 May 2023. "On May 3, while a peaceful protest was underway at the Kuki-majority Churachandpur town, news had reached the hill areas that the Anglo-Kuki Centenary Gate at Leisang-Monglenphai was set on fire by unidentified Meitei miscreants. According to eyewitness accounts, many Meitei volunteers who were held up at Kakwa [Kwakta] areas started moving towards Torbung and Kangvai areas and began torching Kuki houses. The first victim of that mob attack was Haopu Kipgen from Torbung Village; he was bludgeoned to death. The first casualty with torching of houses, therefore, was a Kuki."
  20. ^ Yudhajit Shankar Das, Manipur violence: State is burning, but what is the decades-old fuel behind the fire, India Today, 8 May 2023.
  21. ^ Sonal Matharu, In Manipur, families wait for bodies of loved ones, tribal leaders pledge 'grand' joint burial, The Print, 2 June 2023.
  22. ^ Soutik Biswas, Manipur: Murders and mayhem tearing apart an Indian state, BBC News, 12 July 2023.
  23. ^ Cabinet approves five more sub-divisions in hills, Imphal Free Press, 8 August 2014. ProQuest 1551745396
  24. ^ Bandh cripples Bishnupur district, Imphal Free Press, 8 January 2016. ProQuest 1754357860
  25. ^ Cabinet decision to rename 'Thangting sub-division' incurs stiff opposition, Imphal Free Press, 15 February 2016. ProQuest 1765070770
  26. ^ Ratnadip Choudhury, Cross Installed Atop Manipur's "Sacred" Hill Threatens Fragile Peace, NDTV News, 3 February 2024.

Bibliography[edit]

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