The Manipur government on Wednesday suspended internet services and imposed a curfew for five days in several districts, including state capital Imphal, to control the worsening law and order situation. The Indian Army and Assam Rifles have been deployed as a security measure after some antisocial elements disrupted largely peaceful rallies by tribal groups opposing ST reservation to the dominant Meitei community. There is also a night curfew in some districts, as per media reports.
What is the immediate action taken by the state government?
The Indian Army and Assam Rifles were called in to handle the situation in violence-hit Manipur, following which 10,000 people were moved to safety. A defence spokesperson said violence broke out during a tribal agitation and people have been rescued from these areas and given shelter. More people are being moved as well, the spokesperson added.
The security forces along with the state police were called in on Wednesday night and were able to control the violence by next morning. “Flag marches are being conducted to keep the situation under control,” the spokesperson said.
The state government also imposed a curfew in non-tribal dominated Imphal West, Kakching, Thoubal, Jiribam and Bishnupur districts, and tribal-dominated Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and Tengnoupal districts. Mobile internet services were suspended across the state.
What led to the violence?
A student organisation, All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM), organised a tribal solidarity march in the 10 hill districts of the state on Wednesday to protest the demand of non-tribal Meiteis for scheduled tribe (ST) status. The rallies were peaceful in nature but during a march in Torbung area of Churachandpur district, an armed mob allegedly attacked people of the Meitei community leading to retaliatory attacks in the valley districts, which escalated the violence throughout the state, as per police.
Police said several shops and houses were vandalised and gutted in arson that lasted for over three hours. In the Imphal valley, houses of Kuki tribals were ransacked in several areas, forcing them to flee, they added.
Over 500 residents of the Kuki-dominated Langol area in Imphal West fled their homes and are currently staying at the CRPF camp at Lamphelpat, police said. Some places of worship were also set on fire in the Imphal valley last night, they said.
Around 1,000 Meiteis of the tribal-dominated Churachandpur district fled to various areas of Bishnupur district, including Kwakta and Moirang. Over 20 houses were burnt in Motbung area of Kangpokpi district. Violence was also reported from Moreh near the Myanmar border in Tengnoupal district.
Chief minister N Biren Singh urged people to maintain peace and said, “Precious lives have been lost, besides damage of properties, which is very unfortunate.” But details of the deaths were not immediately available.
Singh said the violence was a result of a “misunderstanding”. “The state government is taking all steps to maintain the law and order situation and additional paramilitary forces have been requisitioned to protect the lives and properties of the people,” he said. “Central and state forces have been directed to take strong action against individuals and groups who are indulging in violence.”
Mizoram CM Zoramthanga expressed concern over the violence. “As the Chief Minister of Mizoram, a lifelong neighbour that has much in common with Manipur in terms of history and culture, I am deeply pained by the violence that has flared up in parts of your state and the underlying tension between the Meitei community and the tribals there,” he wrote.
Why is this happening in the first place?
There are largely two issues that have led to this situation — according to a report in news agency ANI, the Manipur CM’s move to protect forest areas has been met with resistance from illegal immigrants and drug cartels; lawmakers of the valley have earlier openly endorsed the demand by some Meitei organisations for ST status, alarming communities who figure in this reservation category.
The Meiteis, who inhabit the valley, account for about a tenth of the state’s land area and claim they are facing problems in view of “large scale illegal immigration by Myanmarese and Bangladeshis”. They make up 53 percent of the state population but the hill districts, which account for much of the state’s land, are inhabited mostly by tribals including the Nagas and Kukis. They are mainly Christians and are protected from encroachment by law. They make up 40 percent of the population.
What was the ATSUM rally all about?
The tribal solidarity march organised by ATSUM in 10 districts of the state was attended by thousands of tribals. It was held to oppose moves for inclusion of the majority Meitei community in the ST category. Village residents from interior hill areas also came in buses and open trucks to the nearest hill district headquarters to attend the rallies.
In Naga-dominated Senapati town, local bodies forced a total shutdown of markets and suspended public transport from 10 am to 1 pm to ensure maximum attendance. People joined the processions, waved placards and raised slogans. Representatives of the Senapati District Students’ Association also met the deputy commissioner. At Churachandpur district, the first town to be hit by violence, people defied prohibitory orders to show their support for ATSUM.
Last week, following violent protests against a drive to evict village residents from some reserved forest areas, prohibitory orders were clamped for an indefinite period in the town. Security forces were rushed from other parts of Manipur to control the situation at a venue where CM N Biren Singh was scheduled to address a programme.
Police said there were similar rallies at Tengnoupal, Chandel, Kangpokpi, Noney, Ukhrul where even school students took part.
What is the other side?
Even as the ATSUM organised large-scale rallies in the 10 hill districts of the state, the valley districts dominated by the Meiteis had counter blockades in support of ST status to the community. Protesters shouted slogans demanding ST status as well as for protection of reserved and protected forests.
The Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee Manipur (STDCM) is spearheading the movement for ST status to Meiteis. It said the demand is being made not merely for reservation in jobs, educational institutions and tax relief, but “more to protect our ancestral land, culture and identity”, which they claimed was being “threatened by illegal migration from Myanmar, Bangladesh and by people from outside the state”.
What action did the union home minister take?
Union home minister Amit Shah spoke to Manipur CM N Biren Singh, taking stock of the law and order situation in the state. The Centre is monitoring the situation in Manipur and has dispatched teams of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) for deployment in violence-hit areas.
Official sources said five companies of the RAF have been airlifted to Imphal while 15 other general duty companies have been asked to be in a state of readiness.
What is the opposition saying?
The Congress slammed the BJP for spreading “politics of hate”, which the party claimed was responsible for the violence in Manipur. It said the BJP was responsible for the violent confrontation between the two communities.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge appealed for restraint and peace. “Manipur is burning. BJP has created fissures among communities and destroyed the peace of a beautiful state,” Kharge said on Twitter.
“BJP’s politics of hate, division and its greed for power is responsible for this mess. We appeal to people from all sides to exercise restraint and give peace a chance,” he added.
(With PTI inputs)
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