On 3rd May 2023, ethno-religious violence erupted in India’s northeastern state of Manipur between the Meitei people, a majority that lives in the Imphal Valley, and the Kuki tribal community from the surrounding hills. Manipur has a long history of ethnic conflict. The British colonial rulers’ policy of “divide and rule” sowed the seeds of strife among different communities. The conflict stems from decades of constitution over land and natural resources.
The violence was sparked by a court ruling in March that granted the majority Meitei’s “scheduled tribal status,” entitling them to the same economic benefits and quotas in government jobs and education as the minority Kuki. Due to this, the Kukis felt very angry because they think the Meitei community already did a lot of discrimination against them and they see them as illegal immigrants. If the Meitei community gets the ST status, then they will gradually dominate even in these hilly regions and will remove the Kuki and Naga tribes from there too. On the other hand, the Meitei community has to say that in India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, illegal immigrants arrive from both these countries, settle in the northeast, and usurp the land of the Meitei community, taking their jobs gradually. If this happens, the demographic of Manipur will get disturbed, and today’s existing 53% population will become a minority in their own state. So if the Meitei people get ST status, then they will get reservations in education and government jobs, which will help them protect their culture.
So, some people think due to this anger, the Meitei community were the first to attack, or Nagas and Kukis attacked first, but the result is yet to come. Due to these attacks, violence happened in Manipur, resulting in 182 deaths. Thousands have been injured, and more than 60,000 are displaced in violence, with 12,000 fleeing to neighboring countries. All this would have been saved if the Manipur High Court would not have passed an act that granted the ST status to the Meitei community.
Reach Author at Ahtishah Anayat ahtishahfardeeba@gmail.com
