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In Episode 10 of Mission Manipur, host Greeshma Kuthar explores life in the border district of Tengnoupal which includes the famous border town of Moreh in Manipur, on the volatile India-Myanmar border, where civil war in Myanmar and ethnic violence in Manipur have upended daily existence. "Borderlands" details how communities on both sides of the border—often sharing ethnic ties—have been torn apart by military coups, displacement, and political narratives linking refugees to illegal immigration and drug trade. Villagers who fled bombings in Myanmar now live in makeshift shelters along the border, relying on sparse local aid.
In Moreh, once a vibrant trading town, ethnic violence has forced Meitei residents to flee and triggered recurring clashes. The collapse of essential services is stark: medical care is crippled, with under-resourced primary health centres and broken immunisation routines leading to preventable infant deaths. The voices of displaced traders, overworked health workers, and community leaders from Tengnoupal and Moreh reveal the human cost of failed governance, and neglected peripheries. Through these stories, the episode urges listeners to reconsider what it means to live on India’s often-forgotten frontiers. -
Two years since violence engulfed Manipur, residents remain in a prolonged state of uncertainty, grief, and anxiety. In Episode 9 of Mission Manipur, journalist Greeshma Kuthar travels across the State to understand what people are focussing on May 3. She finds that while the initial panic has faded, people are now grappling with the long-term fallout—parents worry about their children's futures, teachers battle rising drop-out and drug use among students, and displaced families still search for livelihoods.
In Churachandpur, at a memorial for victims, the Kuki-Zo reflect on continued marginalisation, while displaced Meiteis in Bishnupur express deep feelings of abandonment by the State and Central government. Armed groups such as Arambai Tenggol and insurgent groups continue to stir fear, and the government's response—more soldiers, stricter controls, but little justice—adds to a growing sense of despair. Across communities, a quiet exhaustion has replaced open protest, hinting at a population worn down by unrelenting violence and state inaction. -
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In Episode 8 of Mission Manipur, Greeshma Kuthar delves into the use of the term "refugee" as a tool to incite hatred and division in the ongoing Manipur conflict. The episode highlights how the label "refugee" has been forced onto the Kuki-Zo community in Manipur which in turn has been weaponised by civil society organisations in Manipur, including former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh.
The situation intensified after Myanmar's military coup in 2021, leading to an influx of Burmese refugees into Manipur. A campaign was constructed to target these refugees and their identity, which started from branding them as "illegal immigrants" to using them as fuel to exacerbate existing ethnic tensions between Meiteis and the Kuki-Zo.
Kuthar underscores the precarious living conditions of the refugees, particularly in makeshift camps, and examines the broader implications of India’s refugee policy, especially in the north-eastern region. The episode questions why politicians use the plight of refugees to manipulate public opinion and ignite fear, pointing to the complex and often overlooked discussions surrounding refugee policies in this region. It also features insights from experts like Manoranjan Pegu and Angshuman Choudhury on the issue.
While Pegu highlights the historical discomfort that has existed in the region when it comes to refugees and questions the idea of tribal solidarity, Choudhury draws stark parallels between the situation playing out in Manipur today with that of Assam (and its National Register of Citizens exercise) in the recent past, pointing at imagined anxieties, alarmist tendencies, and xenophobia towards refugees. -
Episode 7 of Mission Manipur (“Separation”) explores the harrowing experiences of individuals caught in the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur. The episode sheds light on the plight of families torn apart due to inter-community marriages and mixed parentage, highlighting their struggle for survival in a deeply divided society.
We meet a young man of Meitei and Kuki-Zo descent, who finds himself trapped in Imphal and unable to reunite with his displaced mother in Churachandpur. His identity makes him a target in both communities, forcing difficult choices upon his family. Similarly, the tragic death of a seven-year-old boy of mixed parentage, who was burned alive in an ambulance attack, underscores the brutal rejection of those caught between warring factions.
Women are forced to make heartbreaking decisions—separating from loved ones to ensure safety or financial survival. Children, too, bear the burden, as seen in the case of an 11-year-old who prioritises education despite displacement. These deeply personal narratives reveal the immense suffering of those whose identities blur rigid communal lines, exposing them to violence, alienation, and an uncertain future. -
In this episode ("SOS") of Mission Manipur, Greeshma Kuthar explores how the humanitarian crisis in Manipur is worsening, marked by a glaring lack of medical care and deplorable conditions in relief camps. In districts like Churachandpur and Bishnupur, displaced families in camps face constant loss, with babies dying of preventable diseases such as diarrhoea.
Kuthar spoke to Samrat Sinha, a professor at Jindal Law School who has been working in the region for almost two decades. He talks about how medical facilities are overwhelmed, undersupplied, and unable to provide basic healthcare in most of the affected districts. Critically ill children from the hill districts are dying due to lack of access to hospitals in Imphal, highlighting systemic failures. The crisis is further compounded by intra-tribal violence, aggravating the suffering of already vulnerable communities.
Despite the escalating humanitarian toll, the government response has been shockingly inadequate, focussing more on political optics than urgent relief efforts. The government's neglect has left the displaced population trapped in cycles of poverty, illness, and fear, with no immediate relief in sight. -
Episode 5 of Mission Manipur ("Free Movement?") provides a detailed account of the violent events that unfolded on March 8 in Manipur even as the State is under President's Rule, highlighting the escalation of tensions and its tragic consequences. The violence erupted in response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s announcement on March 1 that free movement should resume across buffer zones separating the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities. This move, seen as premature by security forces, triggered widespread anxiety.
The incidents that occurred on March 8 sparked violent confrontations, arson, and gunfire. Amid the chaos, a 19-year-old was fatally shot, and over 50 people, including security personnel, were injured, forcing the administration to impose a curfew on the highway while Kuki-Zo leaders announced an indefinite shutdown in the district. This episode raises pressing questions about intelligence failures, miscommunication, and the administration's handling of the crisis, leaving the region in continued turmoil. -
In Episode 4 of Mission Manipur titled "Jangna-Dop" (a local tribal word which means "in solidarity"), journalist Greeshma Kuthar throws light on solidarity initiatives spearheaded by women-led collectives, such as the Kuki Womens Organisation for Human Rights and ETA Northeast, which have emerged as beacons of hope, providing crucial support to affected communities amidst the turmoil caused by the ongoing Manipur conflict.
Be it door-to-door fundraising to assist families who lost loved ones in the violence, working in relief camps, or providing trauma counselling and income-generating opportunities for displaced women, these grassroots initiatives highlight the resilience of women in crisis, demonstrating that solidarity and sustained support can make a tangible difference during conflict. -
The third episode of Mission Manipur sees Greeshma Kuthar visit Manipur's relief camps and expose the lack of one of life's basic needs: clean drinking water. While political discussions dominate the narrative—be it disarmament, the BJP’s future, or fresh elections—the plight of over 55,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) remains overlooked.
The grim reality is that many relief camps across the State lack safe drinking water, forcing residents to rely on contaminated sources. In some camps, tanks are placed near open defecation areas, increasing health risks. Manual filtration devices, where available, remain unclean. Even though IDPs cannot afford bottled or filtered water given their limited income, authorities are generally dismissive of their predicament.
Access to clean water is a constitutional right, yet the humanitarian crisis in Manipur persists with little intervention. "Water" sheds light on the harsh realities of displacement, struggles for survival, and government neglect.
Credits:
Reported and Narrated by: Greeshma Kuthar
Edited by: Abhijeet Parimi
Team Frontline
Abhinav Chakraborty
Saatvika Radhakrishna
Mridula Vijayarangakumar
Kavya Pradeep M.
Produced by: Frontline -
In the second episode of Mission Manipur, Greeshma Kuthar reflects on the collective trauma India's north-eastern State of Manipur has suffered since the outbreak of ethnic violence on May 3, 2023, besides the recently imposed President's Rule and the circumstances that led to it.
Divided into three parts, this episode is an attempt to centre the experiences of the people in Manipur. In the first part, Kuthar goes in search of a school and its headmistress, who had ensured that everybody from the school was rescued when their village came under attack. In the second part, Kuthar takes us on a journey from Imphal to Churachandpur district to understand what it means to live through conflict. In the final segment, Kuthar speaks to the headmistress to understand her perspective.
Credits:
Reported and Narrated by: Greeshma Kuthar
Edited by: Abhijeet Parimi
Team Frontline
Abhinav Chakraborty
Saatvika Radhakrishna
Mridula Vijayarangakumar
Kavya Pradeep M.
Produced by: Frontline -
In the first episode, Greeshma Kuthar explores the roots of the ongoing bloody conflict in India's north-eastern State of Manipur, which has killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands since May 3, 2023. Kuthar underlines the role of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the violence, and how the BJP's ideological lodestar, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), helped sow the seeds of division that permeate Manipur's sociopolitical atmosphere today. Setting the context for the situation in the north-eastern region, Kuthar also delves into the RSS' Hindu nationalist project in different parts of India and draws stark parallels with the ethnic majoritarianism happening across the region under the garb of social and cultural initiatives.
Credits:
Reported and Narrated by: Greeshma Kuthar
Edited by: Abhijeet Parimi
Team Frontline
Abhinav Chakraborty
Saatvika Radhakrishna
Mridula Vijayarangakumar
Kavya Pradeep M.
Produced by: Frontline
