Civil War in the Indian State of Manipur

By Sajjad Shaukat

India, dominated by politicians from the Hindi heartland, has been using brutal force mercilessly against any move to free Assam, Kashmir, Khalistan, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Manipur. These states are rocked by a large number of armed and violent rebellions, some seeking separate states, some fighting for autonomy, while Maoists, also known as Naxalites or Naxals, have accelerated the Naxalite Movement.

Meanwhile, since May 3, this year, violence has gripped the northeast Indian state of Manipur, as unrest between ethnic groups saw buildings, homes and religious sites set ablaze and charred vehicles strewn across roads, leaving at least 100 dead and injured thousands of persons, while Union minister R.K. Ranjan Singh’s house in Imphal-capital of the state was burnt down by the mob. More than 40,000 people are currently displaced as well, with many now living in one of the 315 relief camps in the state. As the fighting continues, these numbers may also be rising. The state of Manipur has witnessed repeated inter-ethnic clashes mainly between two local ethnic communities, the Meitei and Kuki.

The most recent violence began after the Manipur High Court asked the state government to consider Scheduled Tribe status for the Meitei community, which is the majority population in Manipur. This status would ensure protection within the Indian Constitution and allow the Meitei expanded access to benefits, including reserved seats in government.

First, skirmishes broke out in Imphal after thousands of people from the Naga and Kuki tribes took part in a rally against the majority Meitei ethnic group which is being afforded special status under India’s “Scheduled Tribe” grouping.

The state government response in the Manipur has largely echoed the strategies India has previously employed during unrest in the Northeast or Jammu and Kashmir [Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir]. This has included issuing military curfews, suspending internet services for the state’s approximately 3 million population and deploying approximately 17,000 military troops and paramilitary forces with shoot-on-site orders in effect for “extreme cases.”

Authorities said that they are bringing the situation under control. But, the situation remains hostile in a complex, ethnically diverse and disparate region which has for decades grappled with violent insurgencies as well as ethnic conflict ever since, resulting in hundreds of deaths and injuries over the decades and marginalization.

Manipur, a lush, hilly state which borders Myanmar, has long history of civil conflict since creation of modern India. The state is home to an ethnically diverse group of Sino-Tibetan communities, each with their own unique language, culture and religion.

Like Kashmir, it was once a princely state under British rule, and only incorporated into India in 1949. But, the current outbreak of violence is some of the worst in recent decades.

The Meitei community, a largely Hindu ethnic group who account for about 50% of the state’s population, have for years campaigned to be recognized as a scheduled tribe, which would give them access to wider benefits including health, education and government jobs.

In this regard, Reuters wrote: “Scheduled tribes have been among the most socio-economically disadvantaged groups in India and have historically been denied access to education and job opportunities, prompting the government to officially recognize certain groups in a bid correct years of injustice.”

According to the CNN, “The clashes turned violent, with video and photos showing angry mobs setting properties on fire. Eyewitnesses told CNN that homes and churches have been burnt, as frightened families desperately try to flee affected areas. One youth tribal leader in Imphal who spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity said his house was ransacked and vandalized, forcing him to stay in an army camp…the Meitei community tribals protest to demand inclusion under the Scheduled Tribe category, in Imphal the capital of India’s Manipur state…Video posted to social media shows many packed inside a building, with women, men and children sleeping huddled next to one another.”

AFP indicated, “What we are witnessing here unfortunately is there seems to be a very systematic, well-planned series of attacks. The execution is almost clinical and they know exactly the houses where people from tribal communities reside, said the leader…The divide between the Meiteis and the other ethnic groups is cut sharply across political and geographic lines. While protests appear to have sparked the recent violence, tensions between the two groups have been simmering for years over a complex range of issues, including land rights and a crackdown on minority groups.”

AFP elaborated: “The Meteis dominate positions within the state government, and have been privy to more economic and infrastructural advancement than the other ethnic groups. They mostly live in the more developed but geographically smaller Imphal Valley, while the Naga and Kuki groups live predominantly in agriculturally rich and geographically larger protected hill districts.”

AFP added: “The Naga and Kuki groups fear the change in status could result in their steady removal from a protected area they have occupied for decades and leave them vulnerable to exploitation. Moreover, tensions in Manipur have increased since the bloody 2021 coup in neighboring Myanmar, after thousands of ethnically Chin people fled the violent crackdown by the Burmese military. The Kukis, who are from the same ethnic group as the Chins, say the government has unfairly cracked down the group since their arrival, leading to feelings of persecution and abandonment.”

Opposition politicians have accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP of poor governance.

Shashi Tharoor, a lawmaker from the opposition Congress party, wrote on Twitter: “As the Manipur violence persists, all right-thinking Indians must ask themselves what happened to the much-vaunted good governance we had been promised.”

Analysts opine that while levels of violence may be decreased, but,?pockets of skirmishes would continue to break out in some parts of the state—thousands of people remain in makeshift camps, not knowing when they will be able to return home—tensions remain high and the situation remains volatile.

Under the caption Understanding India’s Manipur Conflict and Its Geopolitical Implications with sub-title Democracy at Gun Point: The Current Manipur Violence in Context, Binalakshmi Nepram and Brigitta W. Schuchert wrote on the USIP ORG. on June 2, 2023: “Manipur, which means “Land of Jewels,” consists of a valley surrounded by mountain ranges. The state is home to 39 ethnic communities following different faiths, including Hinduism, Christianity and Islam, as well as indigenous religious traditions such as Sanamahi. Opposition to the manner of Manipur’s merger with India in 1949 laid the groundwork for the nascent stages of resistance and separatist movements and remains at the heart of the dispute between New Delhi and many restive portions of the Northeast.”

They further pointed out: “To quell this resistance, the Indian government imposed the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act in 1958. The act provides broad-based powers for the military and paramilitary groups to “[maintain] public order,” in “disturbed areas,” which have been primarily applied to regions of the Northeast and Jammu and Kashmir. The act has been criticized by rights groups and contributed to a deep trust deficit between the state and central government in Manipur.” Today, the region features multiple conflicting claims to ethnic and communal homelands — and armed insurgent groups to defend those claims. In Manipur, there are at least four valley-based armed groups, several Naga groups and nearly 30 Kuki armed insurgent organizations. The proliferation of armed groups — at one point estimated to stand at around 60 — contributed to the sense of a “war within a war” in the state.”

Another point of contention is the current land imbalance between indigenous communities: Meiteis cannot buy lands in the previously mentioned hill regions, but Kukis and other tribal communities can buy lands in the valley.

We can conclude in the words of India Zee News TV Channel which remarked on June 20, 2023: “The situation is not returning to normal in the violence-hit state of Manipur. Not only violence and riots are happening in Manipur, but civil war is going on.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations

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