JOIN USManipur in need of a healing touch
The eruption of rioting, arson and killings after a short lull in Manipur is the result of administrative and political failure at many levels, mainly in the state. The state has been roiled by violence for about a month, with militant elements from the majority Meitei community and the tribal Kuki community in confrontation with each other. On Sunday, Chief Minister Biren Singh said security forces had killed 40 Kuki militants.
At least 75 persons have died in the violence in one month. The houses of legislators, police stations and other establishments have been attacked and armouries have been looted. There are many fault lines in the state’s society as the Meiteis are mainly Hindus living in the plains and the Kukis and other tribals are mainly hill-dwelling Christians. Economic issues are involved, as the Kukis fear that their land rights are being threatened by the majority community. Politics has also played a role. The conflict between the two communities has been long-standing and has deep roots.
Home Minister Amit Shah, who has been criticised for not visiting the state for weeks after the violence erupted and the situation smouldered, is in Manipur now. The conflict has deepened and spread in these weeks when no major effort was made for reconciliation. The present phase of violence has its origin in the Manipur High Court’s order recommending a decision on the Meiteis’ demand for grant of tribal status. The Supreme Court has now stayed the order but the Kukis have apprehensions that the rights they enjoy at present will be affected. A march organised by the Kukis in the wake of the High Court order was the immediate trigger for the violence. Amit Shah has blamed the High Court order for the violence but that is to take a simplistic view of a complex situation that has developed for months and years.
The state government does not evoke trust among the Kukis because Biren Singh is considered to be pro-Meitei. The Meiteis have an upper hand in the administration. The state government did not anticipate the consequences of the High Court order and failed to take preventive measures. The government’s campaign against poppy cultivation in the hills was seen as an action targeting the tribals. It also withdrew from the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with two militant groups in March. The influx of Myanmarese refugees, who have ethnic connections with the Kukis, has also been a complicating factor. While the immediate need is to end violence and restore law and order, a comprehensive solution will have to address the various divisive issues and factors operating in the state.