Ethnic Violence in Manpiur: A Chequered Perception

Manipur has been marred by a history of ethnic violence since its inception. ?As Manipur is situated at the crossroads of India’s borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, it has witnessed conflicts rooted in ethnic identity, territorial disputes, and socio-political complexities.

Manipur has a long history of autonomous kingdoms and unambiguous ethnic communities, each preserving its unique traditions, language, and cultural heritage. However, with the advent of colonial rule and post-independence policies, socio-political changes paved way to ethnic restlessness and violence.

Manipur High Court’s directions to the State to pursue a 10-year-old recommendation to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the non-tribal Meitei community seems to have fomented the ethnic tensions between Meitei and Kuki communities. Further, the violence escalated as soon as the All-Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) organized a solidarity rally for tribals against the alleged move to include the Meiteis on the ST list.

The Meiteis were recognised as a tribe before the consolidation of Manipur with the Union of India in 1949. The ST status is intended to preserve the community and safeguard the ancestral land, tradition, culture, and language of the Meiteis.

The Naga and Kuki movements seem to have fuelled Meitei nationalism. Moreover, the free movement of the Kuki-Zomi across Manipur’s porous border with Myanmar fanned fears of demographic change.

The Meiteis have a demographic and political advantage and are also more advanced in terms of their educational pursuits. The ST status to the Meiteis would lead to loss of job opportunities and allow them to acquire land in the hills and push the tribals out. The language of the Meitei people is included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India and many of them have access to benefits associated with the SC, OBC or EWS status.

While the forest eviction and demand for ST status for Meiteis have been the most prominent recent triggers, the divide between the Meiteis and tribals on several issues has widened over the past decade. In addition, February 2021 coup in Myanmar has led to a refugee crisis in India’s Northeast. Meitei leaders have alleged that there has been a sudden mushrooming of villages in Churachandpur district of Manipur.

Moreover, some tribal groups with vested interests are trying to put hurdles and obstacles on way to govt’s expedition against drugs and drug-abuse. The anti-drug drive was started by destroying poppy fields. “Illegal settlers” are supposed to be belonging from Kuki-Zomi community, who are allegedly growing drugs on cleared lands.

Kuki groups have claimed that the survey and eviction is a violation of Article 371C, as Kukis are residents of Hill Area. Article 371C provides for the creation of a committee of the Manipur Legislative Assembly consisting of the members elected from the Hill Areas of the state and Governor shall have responsibility for proper functioning of that committee.

There are 16 districts in Manipur, but the state is commonly thought of as divided into ‘valley’ and ‘hill’ districts. The Naga movement for independence in the 1950s triggered insurgencies among the Meiteis and Kuki-Zomi. The Kuki-Zomi groups allegedly militarised in the 1990s to demand a state within India called ‘Kukiland’ (a state within India). This alienated them from the Meiteis, whom they had earlier defended.

In 1993, Hindu Meiteis clashed with Pangals (Muslims), and there was horrific violence between the tribal Nagas and Kukis, which saw more than a hundred Kukis massacred in a single day by Nagas, and thousands driven from their homes.

To my mind, the solution for peaceful co-existence must be found by the people of Manipur themselves. There is a need for the media to exercise restraint and maturity in reporting and discussing these events on podcasts, interviews, etc. The government of India must take stringent possible action to suppress the ethnic cleansing in Manipur at this critical juncture so that safety and security of all the ethnic groups must be ensured. Nevertheless, President rule needs to be imposed until situation gets normal and people feel safe and secure in their own country!

?

?

?

?