Raking up ST issue as tension grips state
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: May 20, 2025 -

CONSIDERING the prevailing tense situation in the state aftermath of the Kuki-Meetei conflict in May 2023, there is remote chance of the President's Rule regime sending recommendation to the union government for granting Scheduled Tribe status to the Meetei/Meitei community as proposed afresh by the Meetei (Meitei) Tribe Union (MTU) to the Governor-in-council.

As the violence broke out days after the Manipur High Court passed a judgment asking the then N Biren-government to do the needful for apprising the centre on the ST issue, the President's Rule regime would definitely opt to ignore the MTU intimation, as the tribal solidarity march called by the All Tribal Students' Union, Manipur (ATSUM) on May 3, 2023; which later turned violent in border villages between Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts and later spread to Kuki and Meetei dominated areas, was in protest against the court ruling.

For the record, on April 20, 2023, a single judge bench ofthe High Court directed the state government to consider the Meetei/Meitei community's demand for ST status, followed by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum calling for a total shutdown on April 28, prompting N Biren to cancel his visit to Churachandpur district to inaugurate an open-air gym which was vandalised by protesters the previous evening.

Then came May 3, 2023, when a peaceful ATSUM march to oppose the ST demand turned violent leading to full blown Meetei-Kuki conflict, claiming the lives of over 50 civilians in the first three days itself and subsequently resulting in the Centre invoking Article 355 and taking over state's security machinery.

Amid stringent security measures to prevent further bloodshed miscreants from both communities went on arms looting spree from police stations, IRB camps and police training academy from the first week of May onward.

With about 4000 weapons looted in just about couple of weeks, these weapons were used in the deadly violence that followed.

The violence was so intense that even the four-day visit by Union home minister Amit Shah from May 29, who held meetings with Meetei groups in Imphal and Kuki people at Moreh town and other locations, could not convince the warring communities to stop the aggression.

Amit Shah visited the strife-torn state for the second time on April 16, 2024, but his trip was limited to holding campaign for BJP for the Lok Sabha elections.

Many prominent figures of national political parties, including AICC leader Rahul Gandhi, too arrived in the state for assessing the ground reality and impress upon the communities in conflict to reconcile, but to no avail.

Therefore, as the demand for including the Meetei/Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribes list coupled with the court's directive is being projected as one of the factors for the Manipur crisis, it is suggested that concerned stakeholders approach the court of law, the Supreme Court if necessary, to either settle the issue or initiate contempt proceedings against the defaulting party as reoccurrence of violence, if any, in connection with the issue is unlikely to result in granting of the ST status.

Rather, socio-political instability arising out of the demand will complicate the situation, forcing the commoners to continue struggling for two square meals a day, a situation they have been enduring for over two years now.