Dr Nishant A. Irudayadason

Professor of Philosophy and Ethics, Jnana-DeepaVidyapeeth, Pune.

Manipur, an Indian state located in the northeast of the country, bordering Myanmar or Burma has a population of 3.5 million: 53% of the Meitei ethnic group, which is predominantly Hindu, and the rest are tribal communities, especially the Kuki and Naga communities, about 40%, most of whom are Christian. Since May 3, clashes have pitted the Meitei people against tribes: there have been nearly sixty deaths according to the local government, 1,700 houses burned, as well as temples, churches, and more than 35,000 displaced people in relief camps. The government has deployed the Rapid Action Force in an attempt to restore calm and law and order. The violence occurred during one of the solidarity marches of the communities in the hills of the state against the granting of special status under the Indian constitution to part of the Meitei community. They have degenerated into real collective violence in different parts of the state, targeting one or the other community.

The Meitei community is in the majority and lives in the plain around the capital Imphal, the other ethnic communities of the state settled in the hills. The Meitei are mostly Hindu and the other communities are predominantly Christian. As the majority community, the Meitei people have better social, political, educational and economic status than other communities in the state. As a result, the Kuki community feels that the special status they enjoy is their only advantage over the Meitei. However, as the online media The Wire notes, even though the Meitei people make up just over 50% of the state’s population, they occupy only 10% of Manipur’s total area, so they are not immune to the fear of domination by other communities. According to the Economic Times, regardless of which party is in power, the plain residents of the Meitei community have always dominated the government in Manipur. As a result, the tribes – mainly Naga and Kuki tribes – have often viewed the actions of Meitei people with suspicion.

The conflict is primarily ethnic. For years, the Meitei community has been calling for inclusion on the list of scheduled tribes, which the Kuki and Naga tribes enjoy as disadvantaged groups, giving them quotas for employment in the administration and places in public universities. However, on 27 March, the High Court of Manipur granted the Meitei community’s request, angering indigenous communities who fear losing their jobs. Already on 10 March 2023, the Manipur government decided to withdraw from ongoing tripartite peace talks, launched in 2017, between armed groups from the Kuki communities, the national government and the state government. The Kuki tribal group did not perceive this decision as favourable. In addition, the state government issued eviction notices to residents of these communities, including some churches, because they were encroaching on forestland. A “Tribal solidarity march” on May 3 quickly turned into a riot.

Archbishop Emeritus of Guwahati Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil told Asia News that an inter-ethnic clash quickly took on a religious connotation in the atmosphere that Hindutva created throughout the country. He also asserted that during the “Tribal solidarity march,” ensuing clashes led to human and material losses. Activists from the majority community seem to have the freedom to wield weapons to harass and humiliate minority groups and Christians. Though peace has been restored for a while, the Kuki groups feel particularly targeted, as the areas they occupy have recently been declared “forest areas,” by the Manipur Government even though they belonged to them for generations. A number of women’s rights groups and organizations from the North Eastern states issued a statement calling for peace in Manipur. They also referred to the root causes of violence in the North-east and in particular the lack of development, the lack of good governance and the misuse of the region as a conduit for transnational organized crime including firearms, drugs and trafficking in human beings.