Manipur: On Tuesday night, 3 abandoned houses were torched, once again sparking violence and chaos in Manipur. An MLA’s house was vandalised. Several reasons have led to this chaos.
On Wednesday (24th May 2024), at 9:30 am, in the district of Bishnupur, suspected militants open fired and injured 2 civilians. One of whom, later identified as Toijam Singh, died in the hospital soon after being shot. The other civilian, wounded by the bullet, was taken to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal.
In a separate incident, Govindas Konthoujam’s house was broken into and vandalized by a mob in the town of Ningthoukhong. Konthoujam is a Member of the Legislative Assembly and Minister of Public Works Department and Youth and Sports Affairs. Fortunately, neither he nor any of his family members were inside the house when the crime occurred and they’re all safe.
Over 20 houses have been burnt by the members of both ethnic groups till now. Kuldeep Singh, Manipur’s security advisor has stated that military forces have been deployed to affected areas.
The clashes between Meiteis and Kukis began on May 3, 2024, and since then 70 people have died, over 200 have been injured and thousands have been displaced from their homes.Â
How did the clashes start?
On May 3, an armed mod from Churachandpur attacked people belonging to the Meitei tribes. This happened because the Meitei tribe demanded that ST status should be given to them.Â
The violence escalated by the next day and the Centre invoked Emergency Provisions in the area. Article 355 was implemented and police, army personnel, and Rapid Action Force were deployed in the unsafe areas of Manipur.
Curfew was imposed in the affected areas and shoot-on-sight orders were issued by the Manipur government.
Meitei tribes make up 53% of the population of Manipur. They all settle in the valleys while Kuki tribes live in the hilly regions. The borders of Bishnupur (Meitei-dominated) and Churachandpur (Kuki-dominated) are connected. Thus, firing even more conflicts in that area.
These clashes have led to the surging prices of basic goods and amenities. Items like potatoes, rice, eggs, and LPG cylinders are all being sold at double the normal amount. It also doesn’t help that it is a landlocked state and truck service had stopped leading to such circumstances.
Ruling MLAs from the state are going to meet Home Minister Amit Shah, in Delhi, to find a solution to stop the situation from escalating in Manipur.
The history between Meitei and Kuki tribes
Meiteis and Kukis have always had conflicts and demanded a separate state of their own. People from the Meitei tribe have also been resentful of the fact that Kukis could buy land in the valleys, where Meiteis reside, but Meiteis were not allowed to purchase land in the hilly regions.Â
The Kuki tribe considers the hills and forests their ancestral right. This also didn’t bode well when the government of Manipur restricted their access to the reserved forests. The growing population in Manipur is also a big issue because the population density is relatively high and shutting down their forests has led to more conflicts.
However, a BJP MLA, who belongs to the Kuki tribe, contested this and asked for the investigation in this matter to be on hold because it is unconstitutional to make decisions on these matters without a Forest Section Officer. And continuing to do so would seem targeted.
Therefore, it is not just one reason that has led to these conflicts but several others which have piled up and caused chaos. Read more here.
