“The state of Manipur”as we call It today, became a part of India in the year 1949 on October15, prior to that it was a princely state under the British Government. During the time of independence of INDIA ,all the princely states were given an option if they would like to become a part of India, Pakistan or be independent. Initially the king of Manipur “Bodhchandra Singh”wanted to be independent but with time by looking at the arising complexities he decided to join INDIA. Initially Manipur was categorized as a part C state which was administered by president through a chief commission. In the year 1956 it became a union territory and in 1972 Manipur got its state hood.

GEOGRAPHICAL DIVISION OF MANIPUR

There was a general trend in British governance where they generally preferred to work on the plains rather than the hills. This phenomenon led to the division of Manipur state into 2 divisions majorly, the hills and the plain region for governance. The plains were majorly populated by the Meitei tribe,the hills on the northern side of valley was dominated by Naga tribe and on the south hills by the Kuki tribe.

THE REASON OF EVERYTHING

So let us first understand the true reasons behind everything.

A). The fight began mainly when the high court of Manipur on march 27 ,2023 directed the state government to recommend the union ministry of tribal affairs to add meitei tribe to the ST group

The Meitei community under the British raj was given a status of ST but when Manipur merged with India their ST status was taken and they were kept under the sc and obc category. This demand has started from the year 2013 ,the reason which the meitei people give out is this ST status will help them save the ancestral land, tradition, culture, and language” of the Meiteis.

The argument which they keep up front to support their demand is that-

1.The hill tribe are allowed to buy land in the Imphal valley but the Kukiss are not allowed to buy land in the hill region.

2. The Meitei community feels that they have been gradually being marginalized within their ancestral land. In 1951, their population constituted 59% of Manipur's total population, but according to the 2011 Census data, this figure has decreased to 44%.

3.They also state that the illegal migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh are getting into the Imphal valley region and the culture and land of the meitei population has been getting affected due to it. so Meitei are demanding for a inner line permit.

WHY DID THE GRIEVENCES OF MEITEI BECOME A REASON OF VIOLENCE IN MANIPUR?

I. The hill tribe think that if the METEI tribe will get the tag of ST then the economics and social representation of Kukis will be highly affected.

II. Granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Meitei community could potentially raise concerns about the impact on job opportunities and land acquisition. It may lead to apprehensions that Meiteis could gain access to land in the hills, potentially displacing tribal communities.

III. Kukis and Nagas highlight that tribal regions comprise 90% of the state's geographical area, yet the majority of its budget and development efforts are concentrated in the Meitei-dominated Imphal valley. Which is already favoring the metei population

IV. The Kukis also highlight the fact that the valley, encompassing roughly 10% of Manipur's total land area, is primarily controlled by the non-tribal Meitei population, constituting over 64% of the state's population and holding 40 out of the 60 seats in the State Assembly. In contrast, the hills, constituting 90% of the state's geography, are home to over 35% of recognized tribal communities, yet they are represented by only 20 MLAs in the Assembly. So if the meitei get the st status then the political representation of hill tribe may be drastically reduced.

B). The second reason of the conflict is that of eviction of tribals from their land . The government of Manipur in order to safe the forests evicted tribal people from Churachandpur region which is mainly dominated by the tribe Kukis . The people of this region state that the government didn’t give them any prior notice before encroaching their land and they term it to be unconstitutional.

While on the other hand the government states that the tribes of that area illegally encroached the land and were even using the land to grow poppy plant for drug production. So the Kukis tribe took it as an attack on themselves and led to a protest.

SO AREN’T THE AUHTORITIES DOING SOMETHING?

The central government

Amidst the escalating violence, the response from the central BJP government remained notably restrained. Accusations have arisen against the BJP-led state government, primarily Meitei-dominated, for its alleged involvement in the violence against the Kukis minority. There are claims that Meitei groups were allowed to carry out acts of violence with impunity.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi maintained a prolonged public silence regarding the conflict and has not yet visited Manipur since the violence erupted.

It was only after a distressing video went viral, depicting the forcible stripping, public groping, and alleged gang rape of two Kukis women by a Meitei mob, that Modi finally addressed the issue. He expressed that the actions against the daughters of Manipur were unforgivable and that the incident had brought shame upon the entire nation.

Nevertheless, criticism has been directed at Modi for not addressing the broader conflict or acknowledging the loss of lives in the ongoing clashes. Some individuals assert that the Hindu nationalist Modi government may not be intervening to safeguard the Kukiss, who are predominantly Christian, from the Meitei, who follow Hinduism.

India's Home Minister, Amit Shah, visited Manipur in late May; however, his efforts to broker a ceasefire between the groups or facilitate negotiations between the two parties were unsuccessful. The "peace committee" established by Shah has been rejected by Kukis groups, who claim it is dominated by Meitei figures, including the BJP Chief Minister.

The state government

The people of Manipur accused that chief minister Biren Singh being a meitei himself is in favour of meitei population. The people also comment that ,as currently there is no one capable enough to challenge Biren Singh, he is not in the danger of loosing his seat so he is not taking interest in stopping the fight. Out of the MLA seats,60% are occupied by Meitei which makes the Kukiss feel that the government is not in their support and will suppress them.

THE ADDITIONAL FACTORS WHICH ARE PUTTING PETROL IN THE FIRE

1.The lack of trust of Manipur people on its police

The various tribal group of Manipur especially the Meitei and Kukis tribe only now trust the police which belong to their tribe. The MANIPUR POLICE is now inexistent and the police officers have left the places where they were posted and moved to their own land for example the Kukis tribe police personal who were posted in the valley moved to the hills leaving their duties unattended.

2. Addressing the conflict as a conflict between 2 religion

The Kukis community is primarily Christian, while the Meitei community follows Hinduism.

So some anti national people have also tried to elevate the conflict the between the groups by adding this religious frame to it

SO HOW CAN PEACE PREVAIL IN MANIPUR

1.EQUAL REPRESENATATION OF THE COMMUNITIES IN POLITICS

The majority of seats currently are controlled by the Meitei people which should be diluted and the more seat should be given to other tribes.

2.FOSTERING CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING: Promote cultural exchanges, educational initiatives, and awareness campaigns that nurture comprehension and respect for the rich array of cultures and historical backgrounds present in Manipur. This endeavor to enhance cultural harmony can play a significant role in alleviating tensions.

3. NEGOTIATIONS

All the communities should sit together and have brief discussion and negotiation to find a way out. They have to decide on common grounds and take decisions by which no one is harmed.

MANIPUR-IN THE SEARCH OF PEACE

MANIPUR : ADDITION TO INDIA