A author, journalist and consultant for several Christian television channels who was recently in Manipur, both in the valley and in the hills, and spoke widely to people of both the Meitei and Kuki communities, says that the horrifying videos and reports that surfaced in the last week of killings, burning and rapes are “just the tip of the iceberg”. Babu Verghese says that the full truth, when it’s known, will be far worse than what we know today.

In an interview to The Wire, Verghese spoke of a young Kuki woman living in Imphal with her two-year-old child and separated from her husband who has spent the last 82 days hiding in fear that she could be targeted and killed. Verghese claims she is still in hiding.

He spoke of Kuki villages where bodies of the dead were left unburied and, as he put it, “the dogs had a heyday”.

Asked if, whilst in Manipur, he had heard about reports of an attack by a Meitei mob in Khamenlok around the middle of June and the retaliation/defence by the Kuki which, allegedly, resulted in tens or even hundreds of deaths, Verghese said he had heard these reports from several sources but could not confirm them. Presumably this is one story, if true, that we still have to find out about and the details of which could be deeply disturbing.

Speaking about churches, Verghese said he had seen at least ten that have been destroyed in Imphal but, at the same time, there were several that are functioning and holding services. Verghese confirmed he had been reliably told that at least four Meitei churches have been destroyed in the hills.

Asked if the violence, raping and killing was one-sided, Verghese said that both communities were doing it although, he added, the Kuki claim they are only responding in self-defence or in retaliation for an attack. He also said the Kuki have repeatedly told him they do not target women and children and that they have not indulged in raping.

Verghese denied claims made by the Meitei organisation, COCOMI, in a letter dated 23 July to the President of the European Parliament, that “Meitei Christians are being ethnically cleansed … from Churachandpur, Saikul and Kangpokpi districts”. However, what is true, he said, is that there are no Meitei in the hills and no Kuki in the valley and, therefore, there is effective demographic and geographical separation.

At the same time, Verghese said he had personally witnessed bulldozers demolishing Meitei homes in what he called Lamka, the Kuki name for Churachandpur. He added that he was told the Meitei residents of those homes had already left. However, he said there was no way of verifying this.

Verghese spoke about the Meira Paibi who have set up roadblocks and frequently, he said, extort money. He spoke of a certain Father Johnson who had all his money taken by the Meira Paibi. Verghese said he was reliably told that this money is used to purchase arms.

However, Verghese denied reports that the Manipur police had handed over their weapons to militants whether Kuki or Meitei. He said that’s not true. The police were overwhelmed and there was nothing they could do.