Federation of Haomee

Civil society organisation in Manipur, India

Federation of HaomeeFounded| 12 October 2017[1]

|

Type| Civil society organisation
Focus| Campaigning for "indigenous communities" of Manipur
Headquarters| Imphal

Area served

| Imphal Valley, Manipur, India

President

| Sapamcha Jadumani[2]

Vice-President

| Kh. Kabui[3]

Convenor of core committee

| R. K. Rajendra Singh (till May 2023)

The Federation of Haomee is a Meitei-led civil society organisation based in the Imphal Valley of Manipur, India. In addition to Meiteis, it has participation from some Naga groups.[4][5] The organisation claims to campaign for the rights of the "indigenous communities" of Manipur,[6] including the Meitei and Naga people among them, but excluding the Kuki people.[7] It has published a book titled Manipur after the Coming of Kukis authored by one of its functionaries R. K. Rajendra Singh, arguing that Kukis "arrived" in Manipur a century ago and transformed Manipur in some way.[8] Scholars have called it a "vigilante organisation" that has generated a "free flow" of hate speech against the Kukis of Manipur.[9][10][11]

## Background

[edit]

The Federation of Haomee appears to have been created by the joining of forces of two movements: the International Meitei Forum, founded by R. K. Rajendra Singh in 2012,[12] and the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System, headed by Sapamcha Jadumani, which was reportedly in existence in various forms since 1997.[13]

The International Meitei Forum (IMF) was formed around the time the Union Government had reached peace agreements with the Naga and Kuki militant groups. The Naga groups were fighting for a 'Greater Nagaland', while the Kuki groups were demanding a Kuki state. Under the circumstances, IMF demanded representation of Meiteis in the dialogues. It also claimed the preservation of the "integrity of Manipur" as one of its objectives.[12] By 2013, it was declaring an intention to launch a signature campaign against the Kuki tribes claiming to be one of the indigenous communities of Manipur.[14] By 2015, its chief R. K. Rajendra Singh[a] was asserting that Kukis were "foreigners", and was making, in the words of the Kuki Research Forum (of scholars), "incendiary, communal and exclusivist statements".[15]

In 2006, it was reported that Sapamcha Jadumani, acting as the president of Federation of Regional Indigenous Societies (FREINDS), met the Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh to impress upon him the need for the introduction of Inner Line Permit in the state. It was claimed that 704,000 migrants had settled in the state of Manipur and they were able to play a decisive role in 15 assembly constituencies.[16] “Outsiders are welcome for business. But they must not try to enter electoral politics by acquiring permanent residency,” he commented.[17] In 2012, his organisation was called Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit (JCILP), which is said to have launched a "relentless campaign" to force the state assembly to pass a resolution in favour of instituting the Inner Line Permit system. However, the Union Home Ministry is reported to have opposed the demand and asked the Manipur government to take effective steps to defuse the crisis.[18]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ His name is also often mentioned as "R. K. Rajendro".

## References

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1. ^ FoH observes 4th foundation day, The Sangai Express, 13 October 2021.
2. ^ Federation of Haomee rejects Manipur People's Bill 2018 / Non indigenous tribal groups should be excluded: Jadumani, Imphal Free Press, 8 November 2018. ProQuest 2130604267
3. ^ 'Manipur after the coming of Kukis' released, Chronicle News Service, 9 August 2023.
4. ^ Rokibuz Zaman, Why a battle of narratives has broken out in Manipur over the 1917-1919 Anglo-Kuki War, Scroll.in, 20 August 2023. "A Meitei group filed FIRs against authors of two books, claiming it was only a rebellion."
5. ^ Haokip, Paul Lelen (23 February 2024), "Shooting the Sun: why Manipur was engulfed by violence and the government remained silent (book review)", Asian Ethnicity, doi:10.1080/14631369.2024.2322656, "The Federation of Haomee (FoH) is composed of Meiteis and Nagas, although it does not represent the collective voice of all the Nagas."
6. ^ Open letter to WC, NNPGs, The Morung Express, 26 June 2023. "Federation of Haomee is an apex civil society organisation of indigenous communities of Manipur."
7. ^ Vangamla Salle K. S., ‘Centre must abrogate peace talks with foreign-based Kuki outfits’, EastMojo, 26 August 2019. "The federation alleged that the Kukis are not the [original] settlers of Manipur but were once illegal refugees who infiltrated from neighbouring Myanmar."
8. ^ Salam Rupachandra Singh, RK Rajendra's Manipur after the coming of Kukis, e-pao.net, 11 July 2023.
9. ^ Haokip, Thongkholal (January 2023), "Territoriality, Conflict and Citizenship in the India–Myanmar Borderlands", The Journal of Indian and Asian Studies, 4 (1), doi:10.1142/S2717541323500018, S2CID 257370090, "In more recent times, a vigilante groups, such as Federation of Haomee, have been frequently engaged on such matters [issues that involve Kuki and Naga of Manipur] and specialized in pitting against minorities in Manipur including the Kukis. However, such questioning of indigenousness has no basis at all as 'the question is charged by the new zeal of nationalism having no real ground at the base'"
10. ^ Haokip, Seilienmang (2023), "Memory and kinship across the Indo–Myanmar border: A study of the lived experiences of displaced Kuki families", Memory Studies, doi:10.1177/17506980231188484, S2CID 260526732, "An example of the latter can be found in Manipur, where hate speech and slogans are directed against the Kuki population, described as a 'refugee' and 'immigrant' community. The irony lies in the fact that these rampant insults and questions of indigeneity against the Kuki population have been orchestrated by civil society groups such as the Federation of Haomee and the International Meitei Forum."
11. ^ Haoginlen Chongloi, Free-Flowing Hate Speech, Rampant Racial Profiling: How Manipur Grew Intolerant, The Wire, 18 June 2022. "Additionally, Colonel R.K. Rajendro, leader of a civil society group International Meitei Forum (IMF), and Sapamacha Jadumani, president of another civil society group Federation of Haomee (FOH), have been instrumental in spreading venomous hate speech directed at the Kukis since the past few years. Highlighting a few instances of involving the Kukis in the recent past, these leaders from the majority community are habituated to generalising the entire Kuki population as refugees and migrants."
12. ^ a b Meiteis demand say in accord, The Telegraph (India), 8 December 2012. ProQuest 2286665405
13. ^ JCILPS observes '2nd Decade Celebration of ILP Movement', Imphal Free Press, 20 November 2017. ProQuest 1966053049
14. ^ Haokip, Spurn Thy Neighbour (2016), p. 178. sfnp error: no target: CITEREFHaokip,_Spurn_Thy_Neighbour2016 (help)
15. ^ Rejoinder to R.K. Rajendro, President, International Meitei Forum, E-Pao.net, 21 May 2015.
16. ^ NGO demands introduction of ILP in Manipur, The Hindustan Times, 6 July 2006. ProQuest 470973741
17. ^ Friends against migrants, The Statesman (India), 16 November 2006. ProQuest 284342994
18. ^ MHA objects to ILP resolution, Imphal Free Press. 17 July 2012. ProQuest 1026551113