In the northeastern state of Manipur, India, the relentless occurrence of violent incidents persists, resulting in a mounting death toll exceeding a hundred lives lost. Furthermore, the unrest has caused more than 50,000 people to be uprooted, resulting in a path of devastation where countless residences, businesses, and even revered sites have succumbed to engulfing fires.
Within this distressing backdrop, the populace finds themselves questioning the conspicuous absence of any response or statement from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, emphasizing the significance of his silence. However, Home Minister Amit Shah has visited Manipur.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been tasked with bridging the rift between Manipur’s two main communities, Meitei and Kuki, but violence continues unabated in Manipur.
In the latest incident, Union Minister RK Ranjan Singh’s house at Kongba in Imphal was set on fire on Thursday night. In a village, on a fateful Wednesday, tragedy struck as a group of suspected militants launched a brutal assault, claiming the lives of no less than nine individuals hailing from the Meitei community.
In the face of Bhartiya Janata Party administrations at both the central and state levels, the relentless surge of violence persists, giving rise to a compelling inquiry. What obstacles hinder the ability of the central and state authorities to successfully suppress the enduring turmoil and loss of life that has afflicted the area for more than a month?
Are Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister N Baran Singh falling short in addressing the challenges posed by Manipur?
Are Government Initiatives Insufficient?
Home Minister Amit Shah, during his visit to Manipur, spoke to all parties and appealed to restore peace within 15 days. However, the predicament has deteriorated further. According to specialists, both the central government and the state government have failed to undertake the essential measures for enhancing the situation.
Ningumbam Shrima, assistant professor at Sunoy College in the state’s Nambul district, said, “The government has left the people to fend for themselves.” Both the Kuki and Meitei communities feel that they have to fend for themselves as the government is not doing anything for them. “And that’s why things get worse because people are resorting to violence to deal with violence themselves.”
Trust is Broken
Experts say that despite long-standing differences between the two communities, the Kuki and Meitei communities were living peacefully in the state. An extraordinary connection had existed between the two, encompassing a business association. However, circumstances have unfolded in a manner that eroded the trust they once shared.
No Meitei dares to step into the Kuki-dominated area of Manipur, while on the other hand, no Kuki dares to venture into the Meitei area. Nungumbam Shrima says that this cycle of violence will not stop unless the central government intervenes very strongly and the state government makes arrangements to protect the common people.
According to Kay O’Neill, a dedicated human rights activist actively involved in addressing the state’s issues, the central government’s response to the ongoing violence in the region lacks the necessary level of seriousness and commitment it ought to demonstrate. Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Manipur was also a mere Khan Puri. He did not talk about any concrete steps.
Peace Committee
Questions have also been raised about the 51-member peace committee chaired by Manipur Governor Anusuya Oake by the central government. On the one hand, the highest organization of the Kuki tribe, Kuki Impi, has rejected the formation of the peace committee. Along with this, the Manipur Integrity Coordination Committee led by the Meiti community has announced not to join this peace committee.
Says K O’Neill: “The government has included people of its own accord in the peace committee set up to improve the situation. Every member of this committee lacks expertise in the conditions of both the state and the region. People who understand the state well should be on the committee. So the intentions of the government can be estimated from this.”
Dissatisfaction Over Himanta Biswa Sarma?
Now Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been entrusted with the responsibility of bridging the ethnic divide between the Meitei and Kuki tribes in the state of Manipur. But many people in Manipur itself are not happy with him. Some intellectuals from the Meitei community say that the central leadership should understand that Himanta Biswa Sarma does not represent the Northeastern states.
K O’Neill says: What would Himanta Biswa Sarma do here? They do not understand the problems here. No one trusts them at all. But Nangumbam Shrima says that Himanta Biswa Sarma has spoken to the peace committee. They are trying on their part but the real step has to be taken by the state and central government.
What Does the BJP Say?
On the other hand, the BJP says that Himanta Biswa Sarma is a great leader of the North East, and he understands the problems of this region. Talking to BBC Correspondent Dilip Kumar Sharma, senior BJP MLA in Manipur Ebomcha, says, ‘Some people may say bad things about Himanta, but he is the convener of North East Democratic Alliance. And the leaders of the North East listen to them.’
As a result of the state’s turmoil, ordinary individuals are confronted with challenges about both security and rising prices. Food prices have increased drastically. People are facing difficulties in getting medicines. In many places, rice is available at Rs 200 per kg.
Silence of Prime Minister Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chosen to remain silent on the issue, despite the prolonged period of violence. Kuki Chatar Singh tan, the apex student body of the Kuki tribe, has expressed displeasure over the Prime Minister’s silence.
“The people of both Meitei and Kuki communities are saddened that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not said a single word on the issue so far,” says K O’Neill. Says Nangumbam Shrima: ‘Yes, people are disappointed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence, but people are more angry with the state government.’
Ningumbam Shrima added that People are very angry with Chief Minister N Baran Singh. No measures have been implemented by him to safeguard individuals. The Meitei community has 40 out of 60 MLAs, but they did not properly convey their message to the Prime Minister.
How Did the Violence Begin?
The violence started on May 3 when Kuki and other tribal communities of the state staged a rally against the demand for tribal status in the Meitei community, which later turned violent. They attacked the Meitei community. In response, the Meitei community also started retaliating and attacking the Kuki community Po, living in the Meitei-dominated areas and burning their houses.
After these attacks, Kuki, living in the majority areas and Meitei, living in the majority areas, started to leave their homes. Experts say that Kuki extremists from the hilly areas of the state are firing in Meitei areas, killing a large number of Meitei people. “The Manipur situation is fraught with tension,” reported Nitin Srivastava, an exclusive correspondent from the region.
Nitin said that there is a lot of tension in the state capital Imphal. The CRPF men gave us strict instructions not to get out of the vehicle. Looking at the scale of the violence, it seems that there is mutual enmity between the Kuki and Meitei communities and also that external extremist elements are involved in the violence. They may also have sophisticated weapons.’ Currently, 40 thousand security personnel are deployed in the state. This gives an idea of how bad the situation is.
The Conflict Between Kuki and Meitei
Mainly three communities live in Manipur. Meitei and the Koki and Naga tribal groups. Other tribes, including Koki and Naga, live in the hilly areas. While the majority of Meitei live in Imphal Valley. Most of the Meitei community are Hindus. While people of the Naga and Kuki community mainly belong to the Christian religion.
Despite being the most populous, Meitei occupies 10% of Manipur’s territory, while the remaining 90% is inhabited by Nagas, Kuki, and other tribes. Manipur’s existing tribal groups say that the Meitei population has more political influence. Apart from this, they are ahead in reading and writing as well as in other matters.
Out of the total of 60 MLAs in Manipur, 40 MLAs come from the Meitei community. The remaining 20 belong to the Naga and Kuki tribes. So far, only two of the 12 chief ministers were from tribals.
In such a situation, the tribal groups here feel that the Meitei people dominate the state. Along with this, they are also concerned that if the Meiteis also get the status of a tribe, then the employment opportunities for them will decrease and they will start buying land in the mountains as well. In such a situation they will be further marginalized.