The unfolding Kuki–Meitei conflict in Manipur
- Part 1 -

Pushpita Das *

Summary

While the High Court’s directive to the Manipur Government to submit its recommendation on the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe list was the immediate trigger for the violence between the Meiteis and the Kukis, anger against the Meitei-dominated State Government was simmering amongst the Kuki community for quite some time.

Crackdown on drug cultivation and eviction drives against illegal migrants attracted large-scale protests in the Kuki-dominated districts. The demand for a separate Kukiland has also been long-standing.

Manipur witnessed large scale ethnic violence in the first week of May 2023, in the aftermath of the ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ organised by the All Tribal Students’ Union Manipur (ATSUM) in the ten Hill Districts of Manipur on 3 May 2023. While the protest marches across the State started peacefully, a march in the Torbung area of Churachandpur district turned violent as an armed mob attacked people of the Meitei community.

Many believe that Kuki militants were involved in the attack. In retaliation, the Meiteis attacked the Kukis and burnt down their property. Soon violence spread to the Kuki and Meitei dominated districts of the State. At least over 100 people have been killed, 231 injured and 48,000 rendered homeless in the rioting. More than 1,700 houses, including religious places, were burnt.

As violence spread, the Union Government acted swiftly and sent in additional soldiers from the Indian Army and the Assam Rifles. Even the Indian Air Force (IAF) was pressed into service.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) appointed Kudiep Singh, former Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) as Security Advisor to the Manipur Government. The State Government clamped curfew in the affected districts, suspended internet and shoot-at-sight orders were issued to deter violent mobs from indulging in looting and arson. While the situation was gradually brought under control, sporadic incidents of violence have also been reported subsequently.

The ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ which triggered the current round of ethnic violence in Manipur was called on 27 April 2023 by ATSUM following a meeting of the tribal students’ organisations held on 21 April 2023 in which the students organisations felt the need to express dissent against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Accordingly, they resolved to organise the marches in all hill district HQs under the theme, ‘Come Now Let Us Reason Together’.

The meeting of the tribal students organisations was called following a High Court order of 19 April 2023, wherein a single bench Judge, after hearing a petition by eight people representing the Meetei Tribe Union (MTU), directed the Manipur Government to submit its recommendation on the inclusion of the Meitei community in the ST list, preferably within a period four weeks. The order has since been stayed by the Supreme Court which termed it as a “factually wrong judgement”.

Demand for ST Status by Meitei Community

The demand for inclusion of Meitei in the ST list by the Meitei community has existed for quite some time. The demand first came up in 1981 when the then Chief Minister of Manipur, Rishang Keishing raised the matter in the State Legislative Assembly. The discussions on the issue did not lead anywhere as there were dissenting voices within the Meitei community against getting ST status.

In 1995, the Meitei community was given the status of Other Backward Class (OBC). Two groups within the Meitei community—Chakpas (previously known as lois) and Thoubal Khunous (previously Yaithibis)—were already identified as Scheduled Castes (SC) in 1956.

Nevertheless, the Meitei community intensified its demand for ST status with the formation of the Scheduled Tribes Demand Committee, Manipur (STDCM). The STDCM submitted a memorandum to Governor Gurbachan Jagat in November 2012, and also met the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in July 2013 to reiterate their demand for a ST status.

On 29 May 2013, the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs asked the Manipur Government to submit a formal recommendation along with the latest socio-economic survey and ethnographic report for the inclusion of Meitei community in the ST list. The State Government, however, did not reply to the letter.

In April 2022, the MTU once again submitted a representation to the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry to consider inclusion of Meitei community in the ST list. The Ministry, on its part, forwarded the letter to the Manipur Government in May 2022. Once again, the State Government did not respond to the letter.

In 2023, Mutum Churamani and seven others of the MTU filed a writ petition in the High Court urging the Hon’ble Court to issue a writ mandamus to the Manipur Government to reply to the letter of Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs. The High Court order was issued in response to this writ petition.

Here it is important to note that while both the Kuki and Naga communities are opposed to the demand of ST status of the Meitei community, the solidarity marches in Naga-dominated areas remained peaceful in contrast to the Kuki-dominated areas.

In fact, the Naga community has distanced itself from the violent protests and claimed that the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), which was involved in various violent activities, does not represent all tribes people of Manipur.

Reasons for the Meitei–Kuki violence

While the High Court’s directive to the Manipur Government is the immediate trigger for the violence between the Meiteis and the Kukis, anger against the Meitei-dominated State Government was simmering amongst the Kuki community for quite some time. The Manipur Government over the past few months had taken few actions and decisions which have generated a sense of discrimination and insecurity among the Kuki community.

To begin with, Chief Minister Biren Singh has been claiming that many illegal migrants from Myanmar have settled in the State, mostly in the Reserved and Protected Forests.

Such is the anxiety of illegal migrants from Myanmar that his Government reportedly suspended the Free Regime Movement (FMR) with Myanmar and detained 410 ‘illegal migrants’ from Myanmar. Furthermore, the Biren Singh Government also carried on with the land survey of Reserved Forests, Protected areas, wetlands and wildlife. During the survey, the State Government ‘identified’ the encroachers, and served them eviction notices.

Since some of these evictions were forcible, clashes between villagers and the forest and police officials took place. These drives against ‘illegal encroachers’ from Myanmar are interpreted by the Kukis as action against their own community because they identify the Chin refugees from Myanmar as members of their own tribe, i.e., the Chin-Kuki tribe.

However, the Manipur Government had claimed that of the total 291 encroachers removed from Manipur’s forests between 1 January 2017 and 18 April 2023, 160 belonged to Meitei community, which shows that the Kuki community was not exclusively targeted. But it appears that the Kuki community continues to remain aggrieved.

In addition, the Manipur Government had also launched the ‘War on Drugs’ campaign in the State in 2017. The hills of Ukhrul, Senapati, Kangpokpi, Kamjong, Churachandpur and Tengnoupal districts were especially targeted as large-scale illegal cultivation of poppy was being carried out.

The Government states that of 2,518 people arrested under Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between 2017 and 2023, only 873 were from Kuki-Chin community, while 1,083 were Muslims, 381 Meiteis and 181 from other communities. This despite the fact that Kuki-Chin community cultivated poppy in 13,121.8 acres of land and the Naga Community only in 2,340 acres.

To be continued .....

** Views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Manohar Parrikar IDSA or of the Government of India