Violence in Manipur

• Manipur has been in the cross-currents of India’s oldest insurgent movements.
• Naga – The Naga movement (1950s) is the country’s longest-running insurgency which fights for the Greater Nagaland or Nagalim.
• Kuki – Kuki groups also have fought the Indian government for an ‘independent Kuki homeland’, spread across Manipur.
• The Kuki insurgency gained momentum after ethnic clashes with the Nagas of Manipur in the early 1990s.
• Meitei – The Meiteis in Manipur also opposed the merger agreement between the Manipuri king and the Indian government (1949).

Insurgency in North-Eastern India

• In 1964, the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), a meitei insurgent group, was formed, demanding secession from India.
• Subsequently, numerous Meitei insurgent (valley insurgent) groups like the People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) came into being.

• Naga-Kuki clash – The land that the Kukis claim to be their ‘homeland’ in the Manipur hills overlaps with the Greater Nagaland or Nagalim.
• The NSCN-IM entered a ceasefire agreement with the Indian government only in 1997.
• Kuki-Zomi – In 1993, a massacre of Kukis by the NSCN-IM left thousands of Kukis homeless.
• The Kuki-Zomi tribes organized various armed groups as a reaction to this aggression of Nagas.
• Meiteis and Meitei Pangals (Muslims) – Similar clashes were taking place between them which led to the formation of the Islamist group People’s United Liberation Front (no longer active).

Violence in Manipur

Manipur has over 35 communities living in the valleys and hills and these communities have a history of violent clashes since olden times.

Manipur has 16 districts; however, “valley” and “hill” districts are how most people conceptualize the state’s division.

• The present-day valley districts of Thoubal, Bishnupur, Imphal East, and Kakching were formerly a part of the kingdom of Kangleipak, which was controlled by the Ningthouja dynasty.
• The Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zomi group, which consists of the Kuki, Thadou, Hmar, Paite, Vaiphei, and Zou peoples, and 15 Naga tribes dwell in the valley, which is surrounded by low hills (hill lands make up the majority of Manipur’s geographical area).
• Naga tribes who descended from the northern hills frequently invaded the Kangleipak kingdom, which was then a protectorate of the British.
• The Kuki-Zomi were sent to Manipur from the Kuki-Chin hills of Burma by the British political agent there to serve as a barrier between the Meiteis and the Nagas and defend the valley from looting.

The recent ethnic violence in Manipur

Recently, a violent ethnic clash erupted in Manipur, which has led to widespread violence, death, and displacement.
The clash involved the Meitei people, who are the majority residing in the Imphal Valley, and the tribal community from the surrounding hills, including the Kuki and Zo people.
The conflict stemmed from the Meitei people’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status under the Indian Constitution, which would grant them privileges similar to those of the tribal communities.
The situation escalated after a Manipur High Court verdict directed the state government to decide on the issue.
The Indian Army deployed troops and imposed curfews to restore order, while investigations and peace committees were established to address the root causes of the violence.

Ethnicity of Manipur

The Meiteis are the largest community in Manipur.
There are 34 recognized tribes, which are broadly classified as ‘Any Kuki Tribes’ and ‘Any Naga Tribes’.
The central valley in the state accounts for about 10% of the landmass of Manipur and is home primarily to the Meitei and Meitei Pangals who constitute roughly 64.6% of the state’s population.
The remaining 90% of the state’s geographical area comprises hills surrounding the valley, which are home to the recognized tribes, making up about 35.4% of the state’s population