MANIPUR : PROBLEMS AND WAY FORWARD – PART II

Background

1.???????? Further to my article on the subject dated 13 August 2023. (https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/colonel-dilip-prasad-sm-a0333999_manipur-its-problems-and-way-forward-activity-7096462383673413632-kTEA?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop)

2.???????? At least 150 people have been killed in clashes between the Meitei and Kuki ethnic groups that have?engulfed?the of state of Manipur. The violence broke out in Churachandpur, a town south of Imphal, on 03 May 2023. This, followed a Kuki-led tribal solidarity march in ten of the sixteen districts of Manipur.?As the Meitei organised counter-protests and blockades,?clashes spread across Manipur.

3.???????? Consequent to the eruption of violence on 03 May 2023, thousands?have been injured, about 60,000?displaced and many have fled the state. Hundreds of houses, places of worship and vehicles have been vandalised,?and?thousands?of weapons stolen from government armouries.?Arson?and other attacks continue unabated. The violence occurred over ethnic rather than religious divides. The Nagas, another tribal community in Manipur, have not been involved at all, till date.

4.???????? Manipur?is now divided into exclusive ethnic zones, with the Meiteis concentrated in the Imphal valley and the Kukis living in the surrounding hills.

5.???????? There is an urgent need to rectify and normalise the situation in Manipur as, besides all stake holders being Indians, Manipur is a border state. Any problem there can have serious national security implications / repercussions.

Present Situation

6.???????? Problems in Manipur is due to the following: -

(a)?????? ?The ethnic fault lines.

(b)?????? Legacy Issues. There was friction between the Kukis (tribal) and Meitai (non – tribal) and between Nagas and Kukis ( both being tribal) as below: -

(i)???????? 53% of population is boxed into 10% of land & natural resources while 47% of the tribal population are holding 90% of the land & natural resources. Due to their ST status the Tribals can buy land in Imphal Valley, there by further reducing the land availability. The Meitei community has also experienced a rise in insecurity as a result of the flood of refugees following the?military coup?in neighbouring?Myanmar in 2021, particularly those from the Sagaing region. There has been a sudden mushrooming of Kuki villages in the Churachandpur district.

(ii)??????? Deep rooted rivalry has permeated between communities due to deep mutual distrust.

(c)??????? Illegal migrants from Myanmar.

(d)?????? Delimitation. Presently there are 40 seats of MLAs in the valley and balance 20 is divided between the Nagas and Kukis. Thus politically, the Meiteis always had a upper hand. Meitai apprehend that there has been an unnatural population spurt among the Kuki-Zo community in the hills and Kukis are attempting demographic change through illegal immigration. ?

(e)?????? ST status of Naga and Kuki tribes. ?This gives them the rights to buy land anywhere but restricts the Meitei from buying land in hills being tribal areas.?????????

(f)??????? Each stake holder is looking for a solution but individually and not on one platform. Hence, all stake holders (Central Govt, State Govt, Meitai, Kukis and Naga’s and other minor groups existing) must be brought on negotiating table and solutions found by progressing from what has already been resolved.

(g)?????? There are reports about report over 6 lakh bullets and around 3,000 weapons are still being held by the warring communities in the conflict-driven state of Manipur. Security personnel and strategists fear that banned outfits on both sides of the ethnic divide might resurge under the present situation since the alibi for both sides is to protect their ethnic pride which each claims has been assaulted by the other.

(h)?????? Meitei Community’s Demands for ST Status.?Since 2012, there has been a constant demand led by the Scheduled Tribes Demand Committee of Manipur (STDCM) for granting the?Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Meitei community. The Meitei Tribe Union had filed a petition before the Manipur High Court. On the other hand, the hills people view this demand as an attempt to reduce the effectiveness of the Naga and Kuki demands, and enable the Meitei to make inroads into the hill regions. Petitioners had further argued that the ST status must be extended to the community in order to preserve the community and save their ancestral land, tradition, culture and language.?

(j)???????? ?The Drugs Problem.? Areas in the hill districts are being used for poppy cultivation allegedly by the Kuki immigrants from Myanmar. Poppy is used to make heroin and many other narcotics. The government has destroyed thousands of acres of poppy farms in the hill districts. It is said one of the reasons behind the protests by Kuki groups was the government crackdown on poppy cultivation,

(k)??????? On 7 November 2022, the Govt of Manipur through its order set aside previous orders from the 1970s and 1980s that excluded villages from proposed Chuachandpur - Khoupum Protected Forest. This automatically placed 38 villages in Churachandpur District in the encroaching category.

(l)???????? In Feb 2023, the Govt of Manipur began to expel illegal immigrants from Myanmar from state-owned forest reserves in districts of?Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and Tengnoupal, declaring the forest dwellers as encroachers–a move seen as anti-tribal by the Kukis..

(m)????? Further, in March, the?Manipur Cabinet?decided to withdraw from the?Suspension of Operation?agreements with three Kuki militant groups, including the?Kuki National Army?and the?Zomi Revolutionary Army, though the central government did not support such a withdrawal.?

(n)??????Several Meitei organisations also demonstrated in New Delhi to press for a?National Register of Citizens?(NRC) to be created with 1951 as the base year, complaining of abnormal population growth in hill areas.?

(o).??????The first violence broke out as five people were injured in a clash in the Kangpokpi district, where protesters gathered to hold a rally against "encroachment of tribal land in the name of reserved forests, protected forests and wildlife sanctuary".?The state cabinet stated that the government will not compromise on steps taken to protect the state government's forest resources and for eradicating poppy cultivation.?On 11 April, three churches in?Imphal's Tribal Colony locality were razed for being illegal constructions on government land.

(p)??????On 20 April 2023, a judge of the?Manipur High Court?directed the?state government?to "consider request of the?Meitei?community to be included in the?Scheduled Tribes?(ST) list."?The?Kukis?feared that the ST status would allow the Meiteis to ?purchase land in the prohibited?hilly areas.

(q)?????? The tribal groups called for a total shut down on 28 April 2023 in protest of the state government actions, a day that also happened to have been scheduled for the Chief Minister?N. Biren Singh?to visit?Churachandpur?for the inauguration of an open air gym. The day before the visit, a mob set fire to the gym and vandalised it.?Section 144?was invoked on 28 April 2023. The Internet shut down for five days. The protesters clashed with the police and tear gas shells were used to disperse the mobs.

7.???????? The latest violence comes in the form of killing of a 20 yrs old man and a 17 yrs old girl, both residents of Imphal, went missing two months ago. They were last seen on 06 July 2023. Initial probe by Manipur police revealed that the may have got trapped in an area dominated by the Kukis, after which they were abducted and murdered. Two of their photos had surfaced on the social media on 25 Sep 2023 when the internet services were restored on 23 Sep 2023. Hours after their photographs went viral on social media, unrest started. The State Govt immediately suspended the internet and data services through VPN for five days. Protests rocked Imphal (East), Imphal (West), Bishnupur, Thoubal and Kakching, all located in Meitei dominated Imphal Valley.

Possible solutions

8.???????? Imposition of President Rule. This will remove the deep distrust of the Kukki community and help in perception management.

9.???????? Disarming of the Civil Society. A huge quantity of weapons and ammunition are still being held by the warring communities in the conflict-driven state of Manipur. The entire civil society needs to be disarmed on priority.

10.??????Transparency and Fairness.?In order to remove trust deficit, the government should ensure that the legal system is fair and transparent to prevent the misuse of power by security forces.

11.?????? Evaluation of Criteria for declaring a community as SC/ST. Need to evaluate the criteria for ST status for all, as per present status, in line with recommendations given by several Committees, like:

(a)??????The Lokur Committee (1965).? It recommended 5 criteria for identification, namely,?primitive traits, distinct culture, geographical isolation, shyness of contact?with the community at large, and backwardness.

(b)??????Bhuria Commission (2002-2004).??It focused on a wide range of issues from the?5th?Schedule?to tribal land and forests, health and education, the working of Panchayats and the status of tribal women.

(c)??????A High-Level Committee (HLC) in 2013, under chairmanship of?Prof. Virginius. It?was constituted to study the 5 critical issues related to tribal communities: (i) livelihood and employment, (ii) education, (iii) health, (iv) involuntary displacement and migration, (v) and legal and constitutional matters.

12.?????? Just Closure to Victims. It is important to identify the victims and rehabilitate them and those in rehabilitation camps, with the help of the Govt and the civil society. The government should foster the participation of the civil society (genuine people) people of the region in the decision-making process to instil a sense of ownership and belonging.

13.??????Surveillance of the International Border. In addition to the Govt, the communities living along the Myanmar Border must keep check on infiltration and inform the Security Forces to prevent infiltration, irrespective of tribe/community of the infiltrators.

14.?????? Prevent Fake News. Discourage International / national media from bias reporting by exposing fake news being pedalled.

15.?????? Preventing Drugs Trafficking. ?Areas used for poppy cultivation allegedly by the Kuki immigrants from Myanmar be identified and poppy farms be destroyed. The Govt must crack down on drug traders and take stringent action.

16. ????? Civil Society. Identify suitable youth along with persons with repute from all communities (Meitei, Nagas & Kukkis) and initiate a dialogue to rebuild trust amongst the communities.

17.?????? One District One Force.? This will result in better coordination and operations to restore normalcy. Under this arrangement, personnel of one security force will be responsible to maintain law and order in one district. This will increase accountability and reduce possibility of conflict amongst the security forces.

Conclusion

18???????Manipur is a border state and has national security implication. China can exploit the situation. Hence, there is a need to take immediate action to resolve the recent violence and unrest between all communities in Manipur and take necessary steps to address the grievances of all the stakeholders to restore peace and harmony in the north - eastern region.

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