Violence Resurges in Manipur

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Ethnic tensions have turned Manipur into an open war Zone. Struggling to contain the unrest the authorities have reimposed a curfew and internet blackout. The Manipur Police said there had been a significant escalation in the 16-month-old conflict, accusing militants of using drones and long-range rockets against civilians and security forces. More than 200 people have been reported killed and at least 60,000 displaced in 16 months.

The violent clashes in Manipur began in May 2023, following a court order instructing the Manipur government to consider extending special economic benefits and quotas in government jobs and education enjoyed by Kukis to the majority of Meiteis

Following the recent violent incident, Imphal West District Magistrate Th. Kirankumar issued an order imposing restrictions from 7 pm of September 1 “until further notice” under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.

In a statement, the state government said it learnt about the attack on unarmed villagers, perpetrated reportedly by Kuki militants using “drones, bombs and many sophisticated weapons”, as per a report by The Hindu.

Manipur witnessed arson and bloody clashes between the two warring communities–the tribal Kuki-Zos and non-tribal Meiteis–last year in May.

Following the end of colonial rule, the erstwhile princely state of Manipur merged with the Union of India in October 1949. It was made a Union Territory in1956, and a full-fledged state in 1972.

The state of Manipur comprises three ethnic groups–the Meiteis, Nagas, and Kukis. The Meiteis constitute the majority, inhabiting mainly the Imphal valley and surrounding areas; the Scheduled Tribes, Nagas and Kukis, live in the hilly regions.

The Nagas and Kukis have had bitter relations marked by violence since the early to mid-1990s. Despite efforts to maintain peace, tensions were never really resolved between the two communities.

The Naga-Kuki clash of 1992 displaced about 114,300 people and burned around 600 villages, marking the first major prolonged ethnic conflict in the region.

The Meitei-Pangal conflict in 1993 resulted in about 100 casualties and many internal displacements, followed by the Kuki-Paite clash of 1997, which displaced about 22,000 people.

Gradually, mistrust percolated into the four communities–Kukis, Nagas, Zo and Meiteis. The non-Meiteis have been cautious of the Meitei’s dominant role in Manipur’s political landscape.
In the past, hill communities like the Nagas have fled the Imphal Valley in significant numbers to escape the violence that erupts between tribals and non-tribals.

In June 2001, the Government of India and the NSCN-IM signed the Bangkok Agreement that extended the three-year ceasefire including in the Naga-inhabited areas of Manipur; the agreement was not accepted by the Meiteis, and violent clashes killed 13 people in one day. Similarly, the Kukis’ demand for a Kukiland-Zale’n-gam also caused apprehensions to the Meiteis.
Earlier on May 3, 2023, violence was witnessed during a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ called by the All Tribal Students’ Union of Manipur (ATSUM) to oppose the demand.

The violence escalated from burning the Anglo-Kuki War Memorial to destroying homes and killings, displacing about 5,000 people within 48 hours.

Social media disinformation and misinformation fuelled further violence, including rapes. Additionally, the looting of about 3,000 arms and ammunition from police stations and state armories exacerbated the conflict.

Inspector General of Police I K Muivah had said around 175 people were killed across the state, and 5,000 cases of arson including the torching of more than 4,700 houses were reported. Moreover, 386 religious structures (254 churches, mostly belonging to the Kukis, and 132 temples) were vandalised.

The Central government-imposed curfews, shut down the internet, and dispatched security forces. It also set up relief camps and established a peace committee for Manipur, chaired by the state governor, but the initiative was hampered by disagreements about its composition.
Manipur shares a nearly 400-km border with Myanmar and the coup there in 2021 pushed thousands of refugees into the state. Around 5,000 immigrants, including women and children, fled from conflict-hit Myanmar.

Kukis share ethnic lineage with Myanmar’s Chin tribe and Meiteis feared they would be outnumbered by the arrival of the refugees.

The tribal communities of Manipur have believed that the potential granting of ST status to Meiteis as a threat to their rights, territories and lands.

As per a report by The Times of India, the Meitei community has harboured long-standing sentiment that the tribal population of Manipur enjoys exclusive rights over their ancestral lands and traditional customs, as enshrined in Article 371 of the Constitution.

Demographically, the Meiteis constitute more than 50% of the state’s total population and fall either under the unreserved or Other Backward Class (OBC) category; the Kukis and the Nagas (who are Christians) are STs. The Meiteis inhabit only 10% of the total land cover of Manipur, whereas the Nagas and the Kukis (together constituting around 40% of the population) live in the remaining 90% of the land.

The Meiteis are not legally permitted to buy land in and around the Kuki- and Naga-inhabited areas.

Meiteis have been demanding the ST status under the banner the Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee of Manipur (STDCM) since 2012. But it gained momentum only in 2017, with the community increasingly becoming vocal and active in their pursuit of recognition.

According to a report by the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) in May, 67,000 displacements took place in Manipur after the violence. “Protests turned violent in Churachandpur district on May 3, and the violence spread to other districts, including Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Tengnupal, and Kangpo-kipi, triggering around 67,000 displacements,” the report said.

More than three-quarters of the movements took place within Manipur, but almost a fifth were to the neighbouring state of Mizoram and smaller numbers to Nagaland and Assam.

The tourism industry in the state has also suffered, with patients from Myanmar stopping medical visits. Retail inflation at 9.7% in September 2023 has led to economic insecurity, and unprovoked attacks on farmers and road blockages have caused food security concerns, according to a report by The Diplomat.

The conflict has also affected mental health, with rising post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) cases since the violence began. Insurgent groups are gaining popularity as protectors, with dormant groups reactivating and many returning from their bases in unstable Myanmar.

Despite the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, Manipur witnessed a lack of enthusiasm among voters. The violence overshadowed the polls, affecting individuals and civil society groups.

Meanwhile, Kukis are demanding union territory status of the hilly region, where they live because of permanent animosity between the two communities. Surprisingly, despite unending violence and blood-letting Prime Minister Narendra Modi never visited Manipur which is literally burning. Nor did he make any statement on Manipur in Parliament.

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Vol 57, No. 14, Sep 29 - Oct 5, 2024