Manipur, a state in the northeastern part of India is burning. The conflict-ridden state has seen a death toll of 115 people and around 40,000 people have been displaced from their homeland due to the violence that began on May 3[1]. Two Kuki women were paraded naked, and gang raped by a mob on camera. This incident took place on May 4, a day after the violent clashes began. On the same day, an ambulance was torched in Imphal in which a mother and 7-year-old child died. On 29th June, both Kuki and Meitei houses were burned. Over 4,000 weapons have been stolen by locals in the past two months. After the appeal of home minister, some people returned their weapons however these were only 18% of the total weapons stolen. The stolen weapons include assault rifles, grenades and even mortar bombs. Trenches have been dug by people in the cities which has created a near civil war situation. To understand the reasons for violence at present, we need to look back at the history and examine the roots of this conflict.
The conflict in Manipur
Manipur which is also known as ‘land of jewels’ shares a long border with Myanmar. It has two distinct geographical features- the Imphal Valley and the hills. The Imphal Valley is located at the centre of the state and is surrounded by mountains. According to the census of 2011, Manipur has a total population of around 2,855,794. Out of this around 57.2% of the total population lives in the Imphal valley which forms only 10% of the entire state. The remaining 42.8% live in the hill regions of Manipur which constitute 90% land area[2]. The valley region is mainly habituated by Meitei speaking people whereas the hills are inhabited by several diverse tribes such as the Nagas, the Kuki’s and other small tribes. Naga and Kuki settlements are also found in the Imphal Valley, but they are less in number.
The socio-economic conditions such as income, occupation, and living standards of the people in the valley area appear better than the people in the hill area. Imphal valley has better infrastructural facilities such as transport, marketing and communication systems, electrical systems, clean drinking water, cooking fuel, health care, good nutrition, and other opportunities. Meitei community also has more political power. Out of the 60 seats in assembly, 40 seats are held by the Meitei community[3].
Meitei’s have demanded scheduled tribe status since 2012 to provide them with constitutional safeguards to preserve their rights, culture, language, and identity[4]. Their demand is led by Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee Manipur, and it got a boost when Manipur High Court issued an order directing the state government to recommend the inclusion of Meitei community in Scheduled Tribes list. Violent clashes began when a ‘Tribal solidarity March’ began in 10 hill districts to protest against the demand for Scheduled Tribe status by the Meitei community. This march was led by All Tribal Students Union of Manipur and was supported by many different tribal bodies. ATSUM stated that the rally was organised to express protest.
This demand was led due to the following reasons-
Meitei’s believe that they are becoming a minority in their own state due to infiltration from other areas. The Naga and Kuki communities have Scheduled Tribe status that exempts other communities from buying reserved lands. However, Meitei’s do not have ST status and it allows people from other communities to buy land in Imphal valley. The Imphal valley where 60% population lives in 10% area is taken away from them.
The Cabinet Sub-Committee (CSC) on Identification of Illegal Immigrants, constituted by the Manipur government, has found that around 2,187 illegal immigrants have taken shelter in Manipur after the military Junta took over in Myanmar[5].
Immigrants encroach in reserve forests and cultivate poppy illegally which is causing a drug menace in Manipur. This can have many adverse effects for the state and the country as well. According to Narcotics and Affairs of Border, the scale of poppy cultivation in Manipur has spread across 15,400 acres. Poppy cultivation has grown many folds in Manipur in the last 20 years according to CADA[6].
Other communities are opposing the demands of Meitei’s. One of the reasons is that the Meitei community is already dominant in terms of population and political representation. Granting them the Scheduled Tribe status would rob the tribal communities with the job opportunities they are left with. Meitei language is included in the 8th schedule of the constitution. Some sections of Meitei community have also been granted with SC, OBC status which provides them with some special opportunities and facilities. The state government has been serving notices since August 2022 claiming that 38 villages in Churachandpur – Khopum protected forest area are “illegal settlements” and its residents are encroachers[7].
History
In 1762, British started consolidating their presence in India. During that period, Manipur was ruled by people from Meitei community. The kingdom faced threat from the Naga tribes who used to attack them from the bordering areas as well as from Myanmar. For protection, the raja Jai Singh signed an agreement with Britishers[8]. In 1826, The first Burma war ended in which the Britishers emerged as victorious. They established a protectorate system in Manipur. This meant that Manipur was ruled by a king but decisions on all the matters would be taken by the British. In 1891, the British made a five-year-old king. Manipur is in a remote area and the British could not control the whole of Manipur, so they divided Manipur. Kuki and Naga tribes were pushed away from the centre and into the forest areas while the Meitei people lived in the centre of the state. During the first world war, the British needed soldiers. The Naga tribe joined the British army, but the Kuki didn’t. Due to this the Meitei’s live in the centre and they comprise 53% of Manipur’s population but live in only 10% of area. On the other hand, Kuki tribe constitutes 28% of population and spread in the remaining 90% of land. In 1947, when India became independent, there was debate on Manipur’s future. It was a violent debate where the Naga tribe wanted their own country, the Kuki’s wanted a separate state and Meitei people wanted protection of their identity, language and culture. These demands remained unfulfilled as Manipur became a union territory and the control went to Delhi government. In 1972, Manipur became a state[9].
Action taken by the Government
According to an officer, Article 355 was imposed due to which the union government assigned a security advisor to the state government. Article 355 is meant to be used in extremely rare cases as it contains provisions relating to emergency or President’s rule. This article empowers the union government to protect the states in case of ‘external aggression and internal disturbances[10].” Article 355 was inserted in the constitution with the objective of providing a legitimate ground for imposing President’s rule in a specified state.
Imposing President’s rule is seen as an extreme measure because it takes away the ability of a state to govern itself. It empowers the union government to take decisions on behalf of the state government. It transfers powers to national parliament from a state’s legislative.
Other action taken by the government is that Section 144 of CrPC has been implemented in eight districts. These measures were taken by the administration to combat the violence and to maintain the law-and-order situation.
This section is generally used to clamp down on telecommunication services and order internet shutdowns.
What is section 144?
This section was first introduced in 1861 to curb nationalist activities. Section 144 empowers a magistrate of any state on behalf of the state government to pass an order to prohibit gathering of four or more people in a particular area. It is imposed only in cases of nuisance or apprehended danger of some event that can cause damage to public tranquillity or cause public nuisance. Action under this section is utilized to restrict certain actions before they even occur. An order under this section can be applied only when it is likely to prevent annoyance, Injury to human life and disturbance of public tranquillity.
To pass an order under Section 144, the magistrate must pass a written order which may be directed to a person or multiple individuals residing in a particular area. In cases of emergency, the magistrate can pass these orders without any prior notice. The order can also be revoked or altered by the magistrate or the state government or after application by the aggrieved person.
An order under this law cannot remain in force for more than two months. The order can be extended for two more months with the maximum validity extendable to six months under the state governments discretion.
All civilians are barred from carrying of weapons of any kind. It is believed that assembly of three or more people is prohibited however it can be used to restrict even a single individual. The order can be passed even ex-parte. Violation of section 144 is liable for punishment in jail for three years[11].
The Manipur government extended the internet ban in the state. The ban which was imposed on May 3 is extended to 30 June. The aim of the ban is of “preventing any disturbances of peace and public order in the jurisdiction of state of Manipur”[12]. For the past so many days, students, online businesses, and ordinary citizens have been deprived of the basic right of access to internet. Nearly all schools and colleges remained close due to the violent clashes. This has an adverse impact on students and their future is suffering. On July 5, schools reopened after being shut down for two months. This was a sigh of relief for the students as they could resume their studies.
Solution To find a solution to a problem, it is imperative to identify the root cause of the conflict and consider the views of different parties involved. Northeast is a serene land, and its beauty lies in its diversity. It is bestowed with picturesque locale and inexorable culture. It is the responsibility of the government to maintain unity in the state. To resolve the conflict, it is also necessary to facilitate communication and reconciliation between these diverse communities[13]. Pointing of fingers needs to stop. A multifaceted approach that involves political dialogue and developmental programs is required to cater to the needs of all the communities involved. The state needs to come up with a pragmatic solution. A peace effort needs to be initiated to facilitate inter community effort. This would be a platform to resume dialogue. President rule should be considered as the last option. Long term solution for all northeastern states should be sought for.
[1]The Wire, “At Least Nine People Killed Overnight as Manipur Violence Continues”, https://thewire.in/security/at-least-nine-people-killed-overnight-as-manipur-violence-continues#:~:text=New%20Delhi%3A%20At%20least%20nine,the%20death%20toll%20at%2011.
[2] India Tv News, “Manipur Violence: How demography divide turned into violent ethnic clash between Kuki- Meitei”, https://www.indiatvnews.com/explainers/manipur-violence-explainer-what-leads-to-protest-among-tribal-community-kuki-naga-meitei-clashes-amit-shah-imphal-visit-n-biren-singh-peace-formula-2023-05-30-873394
[3] The Quint, “ST Status for Manipur’s Meitei’s: What is at Stake?”, https://www.thequint.com/news/politics/manipur-violence-st-status-for-meiteis-valley-vs-hills
[4] The Indian Express, “In 10 Years of Meitei ST Demand, Repeated Pleas to Centre, State”, https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-politics/manipur-violence-in-10-years-of-meitei-st-demand-repeated-pleas-to-state-centre-8687601/#:~:text=First%20demand%2C%202012&text=When%20the%20Meitei%20Tribe%20Union,the%20state%20and%20Union%20governments.
[5] The Economic Times, “Over 2000 Illegal Migrants Took Shelter in Manipur after Military coup in Myanmar”, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/over-2000-illegal-immigrants-took-shelter-in-manipur-after-military-coup-in-myanmar-csc/articleshow/101156422.cms?from=mdr
[6] NDTV, “15,400 Acres Under Poppy Cultivation in Manipur, 2,500 Arrested in 5 years”,
[7] The Indian Express, “Why Manipur Govt withdrew from an SoO agreement with two tribal insurgent groups”, https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/15-400-acres-under-poppy-cultivation-in-manipur-2-500-arrested-in-5-years-sources-4040264
[8] E-pao net, “Manipur’s Last war of Independence”, http://e-pao.net/epSubPageExtractor.asp?src=manipur.History_of_Manipur.Historical_War_Manipur.manipur_last_war_of_independence
[9] Drishti Ias, “statehood Day of Manipur”, https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-news-analysis/statehood-day-of-manipur-meghalaya-and-tripura
[10] The Wire, “The Mysterious Case of Imposition of Article 355 in Manipur”, https://thewire.in/government/the-mysterious-case-of-the-imposition-of-article-355-in-manipur
[11] Jatin Verma’s IAS Academy, “A Critical Analysis of Section 144”, https://www.jatinverma.org/a-critical-analysis-of-section-144
[12] India Today, “Internet Ban in Manipur extended till June 30”, https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/manipur-violence-internet-ban-extended-till-june-30-2397875-2023-06-26
[13] Deccan Herald, “Manipur’s Problem need Political Solutions”, https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/first-edit/manipur-s-problems-need-political-solutions-1216183.html
Author: Prisha Goel
Juris Centre 