Massacres perpetrated by the Kukis during the British Rule in India
|
Senior Prof K Yugindro Singh (Retd)
Contd from previous issue
39. In October, 1914, a party Pasche Kukis raided Konkailon Khunao Tangkhul village and took 9 heads [FD-EA 1914: pp.4].
40. In the first three months of 1918 (i.e., January to March), the Kukis carried out a large number of brutal raids on unarmed villages in the hills loyal to the Manipur Maharaja, with 193 persons being killed and 21 missing. The following villages suffered worst in the raids: (i) Kasom Tangkhul village (4 heads taken), (ii) Landangmai Chiru Naga village (35 persons killed & 4 prisoners taken), (iii) Ngariyal Kabui Naga village (4 persons killed), (iv) Khongakhul Kabui Naga village (26 persons killed & 13 missing), (v) Palem Kharam Naga village (35 persons killed), (vi) Pungsang Chingmai Khunow Kabui Naga village (21 persons killed), (vii) Kwakta Muslim village (6 persons killed) and (viii) Mahom & Tushem, two Kom villages lying close together (10 persons killed) [MAR 1918-19: pp.2]
41. In the latter half of the month of May 1918, the Kukis made serious raids on friendly Naga villages in Manipur, with nearly 100 persons being killed or missing. The most seriously affected villages were: (i) Pangang Chingmai Chiru village was raided on 18th May, 1918, with 21 persons being killed and 5 missing, (ii) Khongakhul Kabui village was raided on 22nd May, 26 persons being killed and 13 missing, (iii) Chalau village was looted on 22nd May, but no lives lost, (iv) The suspension bridge over the Thoubal river on the Imphal-Ukhrul bridle path was burnt, (v) Kasom Tangkhul village of 17 houses was raided with heavy loss of life, 30 dead bodies were found and only 4 could escape [Webster 1918].
42. In October 1918, a party of Kukis led by Layang village Kuki chief, Tindong brutally attacked 20 Kabui villages, and massacred hundreds of Kabuis. The most seriously affected villages were: (i) Makoi village (70 persons killed), (ii) Dailong village (10 persons killed), (iii) Akhui village (10 persons killed), (iv) Lungchum village (Many killed), (v) Rangkhung village (Many killed), (vi) Makan village (All villagers including women and children killed), (vii) Mongjarong village (39 persons killed), (viii) Kharam village (250 persons killed), and (ix) Goitang village (176 persons killed) [Haomi 2024: pp.127].
The raids carried out by the Kukis during the British rule in India were driven by multiple reasons which includes inter-alia, expansion of territories by subjugating neighbouring and weaker tribes, securing slaves to acquire wealth and resources, hunting of human heads for burial functions of dead Kuki chiefs or purely blood-thirstiness. According to Carey and Tuck, “Slaves taken in raids were usually hobbled and at once set to work in the fields or on household duties and, to give the savage his due, he did not as a rule maltreat his captives, provided that they did not attempt to escape. They had to work hard and in return they got their food. If they refused to work or worked slowly they were beaten or starved and, if they attempted to escape and were retaken, their heads were usually cut off and placed on a post. Of course a man’s slave was as much his property as his gun or his blanket and he could do what he liked with him.” [Carey & Tuck 1896: pp.230].
Notably, to punish and subjugate the Lushais for their barbaric raids on British subjects and to rescue captives, the British Government launched an Expedition in November 1871 using two columns of army viz., the Left or Cachar Column under Brigadier-General G Bourchier, accompanied by Captain Lewin as civil officer and the Right or Chittagong Column under Brigadier-General C Brownlow, accompanied by Mr. Edgar as civil officer [Mackenzie 1844: Page 312]. The strength of each column of the Expedition was fixed at half a battery of Mountain Artillery (with rockets), one company of Sappers and Miners and three regiments of Native Infantry [Reid 1893: pp.13]. The Maharaja of Manipur assisted the Expedition, later named as the Lushai Expedition, 1871-72, by supplying a force of 3833 personals including 2084 combatants under the command of Major-General Nuthall, the then Officiating Political Agent of Manipur [Lokendra Singh 2020]. The expedition was concluded successfully in February 1872.
The British Government was compelled again to execute another Expedition in January 1889, later named as the Lushai Expedition, 1889, in response to violent escalation of cross-border tribal raids and attacks on British colonial outposts. The Expedition was carried out under the command of Colonel FVW Tregear of the 9th Bengal Infantry with Mr Lyall, the Commissioner, as Civil Political Officer and Messrs. CAS Bedford and CS Murray as Assistant Political Officers. Captain J Shakespear was employed as Intelligence Officer. About 1,150 men were engaged, including 200 men of the 2nd Madras Pioneers, 250 men of the 2nd Bengal Infantry, 400 men of the 2/2nd Gurkha Rifles, and the 250 men of the 9th Bengal Infantry, who were already in the country; together with two mountain guns [Reid 1942:7]. The expedition turned out to be a successful British military punitive campaign and it paved the way for annexation of the Lushai Hills in March 1890.
In the context of Manipur, a protectorate native State of British India, the British Government launched a military operation called “Kuki Punitive Measures” during 1918-19 to punish and subjugate the Kuki marauders who massacred hundreds of innocent villagers in the name of waging war against the Manipur Maharaja during the so-called Khongjai-Lan or Kuk
i Rebellion (1917-1919). In this military operation a total of 6234 combatants of which 3011 being drawn from 17 battalions of Burma troops under Lieutenant-General Sir HDU Henry Keary and 3223 drawn from 8 battalions of Assam Troops under Brigadier- General CE Macquoid, 696 non-combatants and 7650 carriers were deployed. Lieutenant-General Sir Keary was the overall controlling officer [File No. 4895 Field Operations]. The military operation ended successfully with the capture or elimination of 14 Kuki chiefs included in the ‘Special List,’ guilty of notorious crimes and confiscation of 1158 guns from the Kukis [Haokip et al.2005: pp.22].
It is very unfortunate that many contemporary Kuki writers and historians have been attempting to concoct and twist the historical facts by misinterpreting the massacres perpetrated by the Kukis as being done for the defence of their ancestral territories against incursion by the British. There are ample historical facts and records to prove that the Kukis inhabiting in India and Bangladesh are all recent immigrants from the erstwhile Chin-Lushai Hills.
Contd from previous issue
39. In October, 1914, a party Pasche Kukis raided Konkailon Khunao Tangkhul village and took 9 heads [FD-EA 1914: pp.4].
40. In the first three months of 1918 (i.e., January to March), the Kukis carried out a large number of brutal raids on unarmed villages in the hills loyal to the Manipur Maharaja, with 193 persons being killed and 21 missing. The following villages suffered worst in the raids: (i) Kasom Tangkhul village (4 heads taken), (ii) Landangmai Chiru Naga village (35 persons killed & 4 prisoners taken), (iii) Ngariyal Kabui Naga village (4 persons killed), (iv) Khongakhul Kabui Naga village (26 persons killed & 13 missing), (v) Palem Kharam Naga village (35 persons killed), (vi) Pungsang Chingmai Khunow Kabui Naga village (21 persons killed), (vii) Kwakta Muslim village (6 persons killed) and (viii) Mahom & Tushem, two Kom villages lying close together (10 persons killed) [MAR 1918-19: pp.2]
41. In the latter half of the month of May 1918, the Kukis made serious raids on friendly Naga villages in Manipur, with nearly 100 persons being killed or missing. The most seriously affected villages were: (i) Pangang Chingmai Chiru village was raided on 18th May, 1918, with 21 persons being killed and 5 missing, (ii) Khongakhul Kabui village was raided on 22nd May, 26 persons being killed and 13 missing, (iii) Chalau village was looted on 22nd May, but no lives lost, (iv) The suspension bridge over the Thoubal river on the Imphal-Ukhrul bridle path was burnt, (v) Kasom Tangkhul village of 17 houses was raided with heavy loss of life, 30 dead bodies were found and only 4 could escape [Webster 1918].
42. In October 1918, a party of Kukis led by Layang village Kuki chief, Tindong brutally attacked 20 Kabui villages, and massacred hundreds of Kabuis. The most seriously affected villages were: (i) Makoi village (70 persons killed), (ii) Dailong village (10 persons killed), (iii) Akhui village (10 persons killed), (iv) Lungchum village (Many killed), (v) Rangkhung village (Many killed), (vi) Makan village (All villagers including women and children killed), (vii) Mongjarong village (39 persons killed), (viii) Kharam village (250 persons killed), and (ix) Goitang village (176 persons killed) [Haomi 2024: pp.127].
The raids carried out by the Kukis during the British rule in India were driven by multiple reasons which includes inter-alia, expansion of territories by subjugating neighbouring and weaker tribes, securing slaves to acquire wealth and resources, hunting of human heads for burial functions of dead Kuki chiefs or purely blood-thirstiness. According to Carey and Tuck, “Slaves taken in raids were usually hobbled and at once set to work in the fields or on household duties and, to give the savage his due, he did not as a rule maltreat his captives, provided that they did not attempt to escape. They had to work hard and in return they got their food. If they refused to work or worked slowly they were beaten or starved and, if they attempted to escape and were retaken, their heads were usually cut off and placed on a post. Of course a man’s slave was as much his property as his gun or his blanket and he could do what he liked with him.” [Carey & Tuck 1896: pp.230].
Notably, to punish and subjugate the Lushais for their barbaric raids on British subjects and to rescue captives, the British Government launched an Expedition in November 1871 using two columns of army viz., the Left or Cachar Column under Brigadier-General G Bourchier, accompanied by Captain Lewin as civil officer and the Right or Chittagong Column under Brigadier-General C Brownlow, accompanied by Mr. Edgar as civil officer [Mackenzie 1844: Page 312]. The strength of each column of the Expedition was fixed at half a battery of Mountain Artillery (with rockets), one company of Sappers and Miners and three regiments of Native Infantry [Reid 1893: pp.13]. The Maharaja of Manipur assisted the Expedition, later named as the Lushai Expedition, 1871-72, by supplying a force of 3833 personals including 2084 combatants under the command of Major-General Nuthall, the then Officiating Political Agent of Manipur [Lokendra Singh 2020]. The expedition was concluded successfully in February 1872.
The British Government was compelled again to execute another Expedition in January 1889, later named as the Lushai Expedition, 1889, in response to violent escalation of cross-border tribal raids and attacks on British colonial outposts. The Expedition was carried out under the command of Colonel FVW Tregear of the 9th Bengal Infantry with Mr Lyall, the Commissioner, as Civil Political Officer and Messrs. CAS Bedford and CS Murray as Assistant Political Officers. Captain J Shakespear was employed as Intelligence Officer. About 1,150 men were engaged, including 200 men of the 2nd Madras Pioneers, 250 men of the 2nd Bengal Infantry, 400 men of the 2/2nd Gurkha Rifles, and the 250 men of the 9th Bengal Infantry, who were already in the country; together with two mountain guns [Reid 1942:7]. The expedition turned out to be a successful British military punitive campaign and it paved the way for annexation of the Lushai Hills in March 1890.
In the context of Manipur, a protectorate native State of British India, the British Government launched a military operation called “Kuki Punitive Measures” during 1918-19 to punish and subjugate the Kuki marauders who massacred hundreds of innocent villagers in the name of waging war against the Manipur Maharaja during the so-called Khongjai-Lan or Kuk
i Rebellion (1917-1919). In this military operation a total of 6234 combatants of which 3011 being drawn from 17 battalions of Burma troops under Lieutenant-General Sir HDU Henry Keary and 3223 drawn from 8 battalions of Assam Troops under Brigadier- General CE Macquoid, 696 non-combatants and 7650 carriers were deployed. Lieutenant-General Sir Keary was the overall controlling officer [File No. 4895 Field Operations]. The military operation ended successfully with the capture or elimination of 14 Kuki chiefs included in the ‘Special List,’ guilty of notorious crimes and confiscation of 1158 guns from the Kukis [Haokip et al.2005: pp.22].
It is very unfortunate that many contemporary Kuki writers and historians have been attempting to concoct and twist the historical facts by misinterpreting the massacres perpetrated by the Kukis as being done for the defence of their ancestral territories against incursion by the British. There are ample historical facts and records to prove that the Kukis inhabiting in India and Bangladesh are all recent immigrants from the erstwhile Chin-Lushai Hills.