Manipur violence : History of suspicion between ethnic groups escalates violence

Manipur became a part of India on 21 October 1949. However, only after violent protests, it became a separate state in 1972. Manipur's incorporation into the Indian state soon led to the formation of a number of insurgent organisations, seeking the creation of an independent state within the borders of Manipur, and dismissing the merger with India as involuntary.

The first separatist faction, known as United National Liberation Front (UNLF), was founded on 24 November 1964. However, they did not take armed action until 1991. Between 1977 and 1980, the People's Liberyion Army of Manipur(PLA), People;s Revoluntionary Party Of Kangleipak?(PREPAK) and the?Kangleipak Communist Party?(KCP), were formed, immediately joining the war.

On 8 September 1980, Manipur was declared an area of disturbance, when the Indian Government imposed the?Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958?on the region; the act currently remains in force.

The parallel rise of?Naga nationalism in neighbouring?Nagaland?led to the emergence of?National Socialist Council of Nagaland?(NSCN) activities in Manipur. Clashes between the Isak-Muivah and Khaplang factions of NSCN further aggravated tensions, as?Kuki tribalsbegan creating their own guerrilla groups in order to protect their interests from alleged Naga violations. Other ethnic groups such as?Paite,?Vaiphei,?Pangals?and?Hmars followed suit establishing militant groups. The rise of tribal militias culminated in?ethnic violence?that took place during the 1990s.

The following is an incomplete list of events relating to the insurgency in Manipur. Most of these events cannot be independently verified because news journalists usually have very limited access to reaching the areas where the fighting take place.

• 4 July 2000, 18 insurgents surrendered to the authorities of Imphal in the presence of Manipur Chief Minister Nipamacha Singh.
• 18 September 2001, the Indian military killed 5 PLA members during a shootout in the Khoupum valley, Tamenglong district.
• 10 February 2003, a KYKL ambush leads to the death of 5 Border Security Force personnel, in Leingangtabi along the Imphal-Moreh road.
• 16 January 2005, security forces uncovered a PLA camp in Theogtang Zoukanou, Churachandpur district. A total of 76 rifles, 20 small arms, and large amounts of ammunition were seized.
• 30 June 2005, 5 policemen and 4 PLA rebels were slain in a clash, in Thangjng Ching, Churachandpur district. A radio set, weapons, as well as documentation were confiscated from the dead guerrillas.
• 17 August 2007, police arrested 12 rebels from the official residences of three Members of the Legislative Assembly in Imphal.
• 31 November 2010, authorities detained UNLF chairman?Rajkumar Meghen, the incident took place in Motihari,?Bihar.
• 15 April 2011, a NSCN-IM ambush resulted in the death of 8 people and the injury of 6 others, the victims belonged to the Manipur Legislative Assembly and the Manipur police. The incident took place in Riha, Yeingangpokpi 12?km from Imphal after the then MLA Wungnaoshang Keishing conference meeting, Ukhrul district.
• 1 August 2011, 5 people were killed and 8 others injured when?National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah?rebels detonated a bomb outside a barber shop in the Sanghakpam Bazaar,?Imphal.
• 30 April 2012, 103 rebels belonging to UNLF, PULF, KYKL, PREPAK, KNLF, KCP, PLA, UNPC, NSCN-IM, NSCN-K, UPPK and KRPA and KRF, surrendered before the Chief Minister Ibobi Singh during a ceremony at Mantripukhri in the Imphal West District.
• 14 September 2013, an IED detonated in a tent housing migrant workers in the city of?Imphal, killing at least 9 and injuring 20 people.
• 20 February 2015, security forces conducted a number of raids in the areas of Wangjing and Khongtal, arresting 5 PREPAK cadres.
• 23 May 2015, security forces carried out a joint operation in the village of Hingojang, Senapati district. Three rebels were killed, and one was detained after the rebels offered armed resistance.
• 4 June 2015, guerrillas ambushed a military convoy in?Chandel district, killing 18 soldiers and wounding 15 others.?UNLFW?claimed responsibility for the attack.
• 9 June 2015, operators of the?21st Para SF Battalion?of the?Indian army carried out a cross border operation into Myanmar, which resulted in the death of approximately 20 rebels including those who attacked an army convoy on 4 June. Commandos went a few kilometers inside the Myanmar territory to destroy two camps of insurgents hiding there after their attacks in Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh on 4 June by NSCN(K) and KYKL outfits.
• 22 May 2016, rebels ambushed and killed six Indian paramilitary soldiers in Manipur, India near the northeastern region bordering Myanmar.
• 13 November 2021, rebels ambushed a convoy belonging to?Assam Rifles, killing five Indian soldiers and two civilians in?Churachandpur district, Manipur. The deceased also included an Indian army colonel and his family. Indian police suspect that rebels belonging to?People's Liberation Army of Manipur?(PLA) were responsible for the ambush.
• 2023 Manipur violence?— An ethnic clash between the non-tribal?Meitei people?and tribal?Kuki people erupted on 3 May 2023, in Manipur. The violence killed 120 people, and injured more than 3000 people.

Kuki–Paite ethnic clash of 1997–1998

The?Thadou–Paite ethnic clash of 1997–1998?was a deadly conflict between the two communities in?Churachandpur district?in?Manipur,?India,?

The causes of the conflict were ethnic tensions and armed terrorism. It started in June 1997 when insurgents executed nine Paite villagers. Over 352 people died, thousands of homes were destroyed and over 13,000 people were displaced. The?Government of India sent in the?Indian Army?to attempt to stop the violence. The conflict ended in September 1998 with a peace agreement between the two communities.

Cause of conflict: The?Thadou-speaking?Kuki?had been displaced from their home in the northern part of Manipur to Churachandpur. The Paite-Zomi were the original inhabitants of the district.

Part of the conflict came from the use of names. Both communities were considered Kuki by Thadous. However, the Paites preferred to call themselves "Zomi"- they considered the term "Kuki" to be a foreign slang word. The Thadou-speaking Kukis considered this use of the word "Zomi" to be offensive to them. The Thadou-speaking Kukis also believed that the Zomi/Paites were supporting?Naga?tribesmen, their enemies without any evidence.

By 1997, a group of minor tribes (including the Zou, Vaiphei, Gangte, Simte and Zomi) led by the Zomi/Paites formed the Zomi Reunification Organization (ZRO). This group had a militant wing named the "Zomi Revolutionary Army" (ZRA). At that time, the Thadou-speaking Kukis had already formed the militant Kuki National Front (KNF) and had been terrorising the villagers.

The KNF started imposing taxation on the Zomi/Paites, further escalating tensions .

• What is the history of conflict in Manipur?Manipur has been in the cross-currents of India’s oldest insurgent movements.
• Naga -?The Naga movement (1950s) is the country’s longest-running insurgency which fights for the Greater Nagaland or Nagalim.
• Kuki -?Kuki groups also have fought the Indian government for an ‘independent Kuki homeland’, spread across Manipur.
• The Kuki insurgency gained momentum after ethnic clashes with the Nagas of Manipur in the early 1990s.
• Meitei -?The Meiteis in Manipur also opposed the merger agreement between the Manipuri king and the Indian government (1949).
• In 1964, the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), a meitei insurgent group, was formed, demanding secession from India.
• Subsequently, numerous Meitei insurgent (valley insurgent) groups like the People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) came into being.
• What are the major ethnic conflicts in Manipur?Naga-Kuki clash -?Land that the Kukis claim to be their ‘homeland’ in the Manipur hills overlaps with the Greater Nagaland or Nagalim.
• The NSCN-IM entered a ceasefire agreement with the Indian government only in 1997.
• Kuki-Zomi -?In 1993, a massacre of Kukis by the NSCN-IM left thousands of Kukis homeless.
• The Kuki-Zomi tribes organised various armed groups as a reaction to this aggression of Nagas.
• Meiteis and Meitei Pangals (Muslims) -?Similar clashes were taking place between them which led to the formation of the Islamist group People’s United Liberation Front (no longer active).
• What is the Kuki-Zomi movement?The Kuki-Zomi movement started as defence against aggression by other groups.
• It later transformed into a call for Kukiland and later diluted to simply a call for a separate state.

Kukiland – an imagined country spreading across the Kuki-Zomi inhabited areas of India, Myanmar and Bangladesh.

• What are the dominant valley insurgent groups?The United National Liberation Front (UNLF) is considered the mother of all Meitei insurgent groups.
• Out of the valley insurgent groups, the UNLF remained the most powerful till recently.
• Few other powerful groups are the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) and the Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL).
• These groups emerged over time and now function out of camps set up in Burmese territory.
• Over the years the power of the valley groups has waned, even UNLF is at its weakest.
• Amongst the Naga groups, the NSCN-IM remains the most prominent group.
• How influential are these insurgent groups in politics?The insurgent groups are intricately woven into the daily life in Manipur.
• The valley groups, in particular the UNLF, have from time to time called for strikes.
• They have rules as ‘moral codes’ such as ban on Hindi movies and music, ban on Indian clothing, ban on alcohol and regulations on what can be shown in Meitei movies, etc.
• They also levy ‘taxes’ on the public.
• Cutting across party lines, candidates stand for elections with insurgent backing.
• The groups also dictate to the voters who should win and influence the voters.
• What was the Government’s reaction towards these clashes?The Indian government enacted the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in 1958 in reaction to the Naga separatist activity in Nagaland and parts of Manipur.
• When the valley movement gained momentum, the AFSPA act was extended to the entire state.
• In the 1980s, Manipur was declared a disturbed area.
• A tripartite Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement between the Centre, the state and the Kuki-Zomi groups was signed in 2008 after several peace talks.
• With the gradual improvement of law and order AFSPA has been repealed in several areas.
• The Manipur government recently decided to?withdraw from the SoO agreement.
• The Valley Insurgent Groups which remains active never entered an agreement with the Centre or participated in any peace talks.

Casualties and losses

Since 1992

• 1,081 Killed
• Since 1992
• 2,895 killed
• 2,253 civilians killed

since 1992

• 152 unspecified killed since 2000

Currant Clash

Recurrent violence

On 14 June, at least 11 people were shot including nine Meitei men.Additionally, 14 were injured in a fresh outbreak. According to doctors and other senior management officials at the state's capital, the latest clash has been so extreme that many bodies have been hard to identify.

A 21 year old Kuki youth was arrested for sharing a post against CM Biren Singh .?He was?beaten to death on a street in Imphal, when he was supposed to be in police custody.

On 17 June the Archbishop of Imphal stated that 249 churches have been burnt in Manipur.

A gun battle took place on 27 July. On the same day many houses were set ablaze.

There has been reports of police killing unarmed man in Manipur.

The state police face serious allegations of siding the dominant Meitei community and this is one of the reasons why peace is still a distant dream.?In an effort to call for peace opposition leaders visited the violence affected areas on 29 July

In light of the historical dynamics between the hill and valley communities, the demand for separate administration by Kukis could also perhaps be seen as the community’s first step toward state formation - an attempt to shift from a “non-state” entity to a “state” entity.

1. ReferencesIE - What is the history of insurgency in Manipur?
2. IE - What is the SoO agreement with tribal insurgent groups?

Reactions

The?Chief Minister of Manipur?N. Biren Singh?stated that the riots were instigated by “prevailing misunderstanding between two communities” and appealed for restoration of normality.

Shashi Tharoor, a Member of Parliament, called for?President's rule?and blamed the BJP-led government, saying it has failed to govern the state.

Peter Machado, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Bangalore, expressed concern that the Christian community is being made to feel insecure, adding that "seventeen churches are either?vandalised,?desecrated?or defiled."

Olympic medallist?Mary Kom, a native of Manipur, tweeted an appeal seeking help for her home state.

The Union Government?Minister of Home Affairs?Amit Shah?cancelled his campaign programs for the?Karnataka election?and held meetings with Biren Singh monitoring the situation in Manipur.

A BJP MLA,?Dinganglung Gangmei, petitioned the?Supreme Court of India?against the High Court's recommendation to the state government to add Meitei people to the Scheduled Tribes list.

On 12 May 2023, all 10 Kuki MLAs, including eight from the?Bharatiya Janata Party, issued a statement demanding a separate body be created to administer their community under the constitution of India in the wake of the violent ethnic clashes.

?They alleged that the violence had been “tacitly supported” by the BJP-run state government, and that living under a Meitei-majority administration after the violence would be “as good as death” for their community.

Five organisations of tribal students of Manipur in New Delhi also demanded a probe into the alleged involvement of two radical Meitei groups,?Arambai Tenggol?and?Meitei Leepun?in the violence.

The?United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights?Volker Turk?said in a statement that the violence in Manipur "revealed the underlying tensions between different ethnic and indigenous groups". He urged the authorities to "respond to the situation quickly, including by investigating and addressing root causes of the violence in line with their international human rights obligations".

On 29 May, hundreds of women from Kuki, Mizo, and Zomi tribes staged a protest at?Jantar Mantar?in?New Delhi, demanding intervention by the central government to end communal tensions in Manipur. The women waved national flags and held posters declaring themselves as Indians, not immigrants, while criticising the state government stirring tensions by evicting of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land.

On 30 May 2023, eleven international and national award-winning sportspersons from the state said that they will return their awards if the territorial integrity of the state is compromised. The sportspersons said that if the government does not meet their demands, they will not represent India and will not help in training new talent.

On 1 July 2023,?Joseph Pamplany, Archbishop of Thalassery in?Kerala?said the violence is sponsored by the Modi government to destroy Christian communities in Manipur.

On 14 July 2023, BJP's vice-president from the state of Mizoram, R. Vanramchhuanga, resigned from his post accusing BJP governments in the centre and the state of supporting demolition of churches.

On 20 July 2023, Modi broke his months-long silence after a video of two women being paraded naked and subjected to blatant acts of sexual assault by a group of men went viral. He said the incident shamed India and that no guilty will be spared.

Prime Minister?Narendra Modi?has been criticized for being silent on the violence for almost three months, for not visiting the state and for avoiding the broader situation in his statement after a video showing two women being paraded naked went viral, as his party is in power in both the centre and the state.

On 27 July 2023, BJP's Bihar wing leader Vinod Sharma resigned alleging that the violence in the state has defamed the country.

Media coverage

Mainstream media channels from India ignored Manipur conflict and covered it only after a viral video surfaced showing two naked women being paraded by a mob.

?Most of the major newspapers and TV channels in the state are owned by Meiteis which led to biased reporting. Major newspapers and broadcast media from Manipur and India?have avoided reporting on violence faced by the Christian majority Kukis, while highlighting violence by Kuki militants. Three most read English newspapers in the region did not even report on the incident of a mob burning alive a woman and a boy.?

The Sangai Express?referred to Kukis by the adjective "aliens" in an editorial, while an editorial in the?Imphal Free Press?justified the villagers looting arms from the security forces in the state.

Indian news agency?ANI?incorrectly reported that a Muslim man has been arrested in connection to the incident in which two naked women were seen paraded forcibly by a mob in a viral video. ANI later apologized for the tweet saying that it was based on their erroneous reading of tweets by Manipur Police.

See also

• Crime portalIndia portal
• Kuki–Paite ethnic clash of 1997–1998
• 1993 Manipur riot
• 2016 Manipur unrest