“My state Manipur is burning, kindly help.”
These were the words tweeted by Olympic medal-winning boxer, Mary Kom, pleading and urging the government and authorities to mediate, and bring an end to the violent clashes that broke out in Manipur between different ethnic groups in the state. The apocalyptic images floating around the internet showcased the horror movie the citizens of Manipur were living through. But why is Manipur burning? And why wasn’t peace an option?
The situation in Manipur has been on edge for many many years, with ethnic tensions, communal riots, conflicts involving armed separatist movements, illegal refugees and drug trafficking plaguing the “Jewel of India”. People have always considered the region to be a melting pot for a long time, but it has now turned into a boiling cauldron. This article aims to dissect the situation in Manipur, providing a timeline of key events and major players while also pushing for a peaceful way forward.
Prelude
Manipur is a North-Eastern Indian state famous for its rich culture and tradition, vibrant dance forms, vivid landscapes and sceneries, and delectable local cuisines. It shares a border with Myanmar and is one of the seven sisters of India. The majority of people in Manipur speak the Meitei language, but there are also a variety of Sino-Tibetan dialects spoken in the region. Manipur has been a crossroad for Asian economic and cultural exchange for centuries, connecting Central Asia and South-East Asia.
The population of Manipur comprises several indigenous ethnic groups. The Meiteis and Nagas have lived in Manipur since the inception of time, whereas the Kukis are a relatively newer tribe that has settled in the state. The Kukis and Nagas make up about 25% of the population and stay in the hilly regions of the state, whereas the Meiteis form the majority (about 53%) of the population as well as the governing of the state and live in the valley region [1].
The Naga and Kuki tribes have a history of unrest and conflict. The first big conflict happened when a large number of Naga labourers were in Europe, during the Kuki insurrection against British labour conscription for the First World War. From 1917 to 1919, Naga villages took the brunt of the Kuki raids because fewer men were living there. The Muslims (Meitei Pangal) took the brunt of the fighting when they battled the Meiteis in the 1990s [2].
The Manipur Government
Out of the sixty-member assembly of Manipur, 20 lawmakers are chosen from the hills and 40 from the valley. The Meiteis always have more elected representatives, which gives them more political clout and, as a result, administrative influence. Every Chief Minister of Manipur since the 90s has been from the Meitei community. With the Meitei community dominating rulership in the state, this has agitated the tribes, and instilled a fear of losing their Manipuri identity.
The Eviction of Kukis
In February, the Chief Minister of Manipur, N Biren Singh, pledged to protect the forests of Manipur. The result of this was an inhumane eviction of a village in the Churachandpur district, K. Songjang [3].
Six JCBs and dozens of policemen showed up on 20th February, and demolished the settlement, because it reportedly encroached on protected forest land. The people in this village belonged to the Kuki tribe, and felt provoked. The entire eviction process came without notice and with no rehabilitation or resettlement.
The events at K. Songjang set off a chain of profound consequences — for the government [4] as well as the local population, feeding into Manipur’s struggle with resentment among different communities on long-standing issues. Taking away forest land from tribals directly curtailed the livelihood of these people and this action was deemed unlawful by several protesting groups.
The eviction saw a largely peaceful protest carried out by tribals in the Churachandpur district of Manipur. The protest was deemed unconstitutional by the state government which further made the Kukis believe that the government was against their entire tribe. The government further claimed that the forest area occupied by some tribals was being used to cultivate poppy and other drugs. The oppressed Kukis had reached a boiling point.
The First Acts of Violence
The tensions in the region had worsened, and the tribals in Churachandpur district were becoming unruly. A newly opened gym in the PT Sports Complex was set to be inaugurated by the Chief Minister, Biren Singh, who had planned his visit on the 28th of April. In protest of the eviction drive, an unruly mob set the venue on fire, partially burning the new gym. The Indigenous Tribal Leader’s Forum (ITLF) called for a total shutdown of the Churachandpur district between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. in protest against the government’s land survey and demolition of churches [5].
This first sign of aggression did not stop the CM from addressing another rally in the district. The rally was interrupted by the unruly mob once again, which resulted in a violent backlash between the police and tribals. The distress in the district resulted in a ban on the internet and Section 144 being imposed in the district. [6]
The Meitei’s ST Status Demand
For decades, the Meiteis of Manipur have sought after ST status, as it would help the community protect their ancestral land, age-old customs, and safeguard their identity. On the 27th of March, the Manipur High Court issued an order, directing the state government to “consider the case of the petitioner for inclusion of the Meetei/Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe list expeditiously, preferably within a period of four weeks” [7].
The tribal groups, however, feared that the Meiteis getting ST status would be a serious threat to their identities. They believe that Meiteis forming the majority of the state had already given them a higher priority in the government’s decision-making and a fair share of benefits for themselves. Moreover, the Meiteis already possess Scheduled Caste and OBC status. The decision would leave the Meiteis fit to acquire land in the hills, pushing the tribals out. Dilution of limited resources and even reduced political representation meant that this decision from the High Court of Manipur was not well received by the tribals.
The Myanmar Angle
Manipur shares around 400 km of unfenced border with Myanmar. In 2021, when the military took control of Myanmar, over 5,000 immigrants fled across the border and took refuge in Manipur. According to various sources, the Manipur Government decided to keep these refugees in detention camps called “shelter homes”, and were not allowed to leave these areas [8]. Many of these refugees belonged to the same ethnic group, the Kuki tribe, that lives in the hills of Manipur.
The influx of immigrants has severely disturbed the demographics of the state, with new villages being set up in the hills and population numbers increasing uncontrollably. The Meiteis believe that the increasing number of Tribals who occupy the hills is diminishing their local identity and threatening their “ancestral land”. This resulted in further apprehension between the Meiteis and the Kukis of Manipur.
The “Tribal Solidarity March”
On the 3rd of May, the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) called for a “Tribal Solidarity March” in all the ten hill districts of Manipur [9]. Thousands of Tribals in Manipur flooded the streets, expressing their dissent to the persistent demand of the Meitei community for their inclusion in the ST category. While the protest ended peacefully in several hill districts, the same could not be said for Churachandpur, Moirang, Motbung and Moreh with reports of arson, vandalism and confrontations taking place.
Homes were torched and burned, vehicles were destroyed, and lives were lost. The confrontation between the groups was brutal and slowly spread across the entire state. Police fired several rounds of tear gas to control the old ethnic faultline. Thousands of people were displaced across the state, with the sounds of gunshots and ambulances overwhelming the air of Manipur. The “Jewel of India” was being reduced to ashes and rubble. The state was in immediate need of resolution.
The army and several policemen have since been deployed in the state to prevent further violent clashes between the communities. The Internet has been suspended, and a curfew has been imposed across the whole state. Human Rights Watch has urged the Indian Government to step in and take control of the situation, investigating the deaths caused by violent groups as well as security forces in the state [10]. The CM has appealed to the people to come to a peaceful resolution of the issue. Home Minister Amit Shah made a delayed visit to the state and issued an immediate cease-fire warning to the people, along with several assurances to ensure peace is restored.
The State Continues to Burn
The carelessness of the Central and State Governments has caused near irreparable damage to the state, dividing the state into factions filled with despise and resentment. Over 130 people have been killed and 60,000 people displaced in clashes that have continued to run rampant across the entire state despite the deployment of 35,000 Army and central paramilitary personnel.
According to reports, most of the assurances made by the Home Minister in his visit have not been lived up to [11] and new cases of violence have still ensued in several districts. While Manipur was in dire need of strength and solidarity by the centre, the focus was shifted to the Karnataka elections which led to a bigger outrage by the Manipuri citizens. There is no denying that the situation in Manipur is one of the biggest law and order failures in independent India.
The chaos in Manipur and the constant abuses hurled towards him from the tribes during protests got too much to handle for N Biren Singh, as he had planned to drop his resignation letter at the Raj Bhavan on the 30th of June, 2023. In what you would call a highly dramatic encounter, thousands of BJP supporters (mostly Meiteis) gathered outside his residence and urged the CM to continue. His resignation letter was torn to shreds by the gathered mob, pleading him to continue. Seeing this support, made the CM reconsider his decision and continue as the CM in charge of the state.
The Way Forward
There have been shouts made by several organisations including the BJP for establishing a Presidential Rule in Manipur to calm the situation. The state faces a major dilemma; the removal of Biren Singh from his post will leave a huge feeling of alienation amongst the Meitei community, whereas President’s Rule will also mean take over by Central forces, and a return of instruments like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) that the Central government had worked so hard to withdraw from various districts of Northeastern States [12], including Manipur.
The need of the hour in Manipur is for the Meiteis to show some selfless acts of fair play and magnanimity. The Meitei community must understand that they are responsible for sharing the fruits of power and development with the tribes. Providing a fair share of prospective development in the hilly areas and ensuring the demands of the tribals are met is a bare necessity to protect the volatile situation from escalating again. Creating more political representation for the tribals, and having them be more economically interdependent on the Meiteis is a big step forward to ensure peace can resume once again.
These solutions may be considered by most to be unimaginable and of utopian scales, but this is what the tribals will demand if Manipur is to be sustained as a single entity for future generations to come.
Article by,
Taher Dossaji,
Editor-in-Chief, For the Record,
PES MUN Society (RR Campus).