THE MANIPUR CRISIS: REASON & RESOLUTION
Hello everyone welcome to the 33rd blog which is going to be about the tribal conflicts ongoing in Manipur, India which has by far led to several lynchings and killings leaving the state of Manipur in complete chaos.
The state of Manipur is bifurcated between two geographical areas-the hills and the valley plains. 90 per cent of the total area falls under the hills which are home to two important tribes of Manipur — KUKI and NAGA accounting for 35 per cent of the population. Within these two tribes, there are multiple recognized and unrecognized sub-tribal communities. The other half of the population comprises of MEITEIS who are the culmination of Hindus and Muslims and live in the valley region of Manipur.
Henceforth the ethnic conflict in Manipur began on May 3 between the dominant Meitei people (valley-based) and the Kuki-Zomi people (one of the two hills-based Scheduled Tribe groups). The reason for massive violence and bloodshed in Manipur can be acknowledged by emphasising on following pointers:
1. REASON — EVICTION OF THE TRIBES
The dispute has to do with a deep-rooted demand by the Meitei people for a scheduled tribe status under the Constitution of India, which would give them privileges and status equivalent and comparable to the other tribal communities. In April, a Manipur High Court verdict directed the state government to decide on the issue preferably within four weeks. The tribal communities protested the Meitei demand. The All Tribal Student Union of Manipur (ATSUM) conducted a solidarity march in all hill districts on 3 May. By the end of the march, clashes broke out between the Meitei and Kuki populations in and around the Churachandpur district running along the borders of the Imphal Valley.
The Kuki tribe however is against the Meiteis getting the status of Scheduled tribes. The Meitei community has been demanding the same since 2013 in order to preserve their land and heritage because the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar hamper their diversity and hence they want to stand out for the protection of their ancestral land. The Meiteis further claim that the Naga and Kuki tribe won't get harmed if they are granted a scheduled tribe status as it is for their own safety. The Nagas and Kukis on the other hand claim that granting the status of the scheduled tribe will be harmful to the state and will bring anarchy as the Meities are powerful, well-educated and connected due to which the power of the people of Hills under social, political and economic realm will diminish.
As per Nagas and Kukis, under Manipur legislative assembly two third of the seats are already reserved for the Meiteis, they already have the status of scheduled caste and OBCs, henceforth vouchsafing the scheduled tribe status will lead to over-representation and will not give an equivalent share of power to people of other tribes in terms of employment and governance.
Apart from this, Chief Minister Biren Singh also focused on implementing a policy which aims to protect the forest cover of Manipur and as a result there were multiple surveys across the area to curb human encroachment within the state's forest areas. The government however blatantly declared the protest of the people of the Kuki community unconstitutional and that most part of the land acquired by them was used for the illicit growth of poppy seed which is a component of the drug business. Thus, due to this members of different tribal clans were forced out of their homes and were displaced without any rehabilitation arrangements.
Tribal leaders announced a ‘bandh’ and they tried to put a halt to the rallies of chief minister Biren Singh over his unsolicited policies being forced upon the people and as a result, there were several violent confrontations between the tribal leaders and the police authorities. Furthermore, the entire district of Churachandpur was under a curfew with mobile services being suspended.
At the request of the state administration, 17 columns of the Army and Assam Rifles were deployed, and with the developing situation, the number has gone up to 147 columns with over 10,000 personnel of the Army and the paramilitary respectively. This is probably one of the biggest deployments of the Indian Army and Assam Rifles to help civil authorities restore order, not only this more than 7,500 affected people were evacuated to safer places.
2. INTERNATIONAL INTERVENTION
Lately, the European Parliament laid prominence on the Indian government to act “promptly” to prevent the violent clashes in Manipur and suggested that the Indian government shall not just favour the interest of the majority Hindu community rather they should work towards establishing a democratic egalitarian means of livelihood and opportunities and furthermore protect rights of religious minorities. The resolution got by a show of hands on Thursday after a debate on the issue on Wednesday evening. The government of India called the EU legislature action unacceptable.
The European Union also want the authorities to grant intemperate access to the area by journalists and international observers and aim to terminate the internet and mobile services suspension. The resolution called on the government to repeal the unlawful Armed Forces Special Powers Act in line with the recommendations of the UN Universal Periodic Review(the committee that reviews human right violation and advises nations to fulfil human rights obligations).
Through the resolution, Members of the European Parliament called on to make human rights prominent in its dialogue followed by its relationship with India thus this point was repeatedly raised during the pre-vote debate of the European Union assembly. The process brought together an unlikely mix of left and right parties which also approved two other resolutions on rights in Venezuela and Kyrgyzstan.
3. INDIAN RESPONSE AND WHAT THE RESOLUTION SHOULD BE LIKE!
India hit back strongly at the European Parliament for adopting a resolution over the tussle in Manipur, claiming that such interference in the country’s internal affairs is unacceptable and represents the colonial mindset that the English possess which is to always subjugate and sabotage the personal affairs of the Indian state.
The adoption of an Urgency Resolution is irrelevant as Indian authorities at all levels, including the judiciary, are seized of the situation in Manipur and are taking steps to maintain peace and harmony and law and order.
In order to curtail the civil unrest in Manipur the government of India shall focus on unifying or at least ensure that equivalent opportunities in the political and social realm are provided to both the tribes of hills and the tribes of valleys, which are main communities of skirmish in Manipur. Not only this, the forest policies that are targeted towards neutralizing human encroachment must be planned and implemented with a mutual consensus keeping in mind the interests of the tribal communities.
The Indian media and the government itself need to adopt fast-track measures and shall use technology as a means to curtail violence in the area. Wider representation and showcase on a national-international front will allow a multiplicity of positive opinions that shall help the government to take corrective steps.
We as citizens daily seem to enjoy the entertainment tiff between two cricket players and talk about it across diverse social media platforms for days but when it comes on to deliberating on a serious matter like the Manipur violence where human rights and women's rights violation is happening on a day to day basis, where women are raped and coerced to walk naked-we as citizens of India clearly fail to address the urgency and depth of the issue.
A government cannot take preventive corrective measures for its policy until the opposition comes into action, However, the most important component for a government is its citizens and their, say on a particular issue of the national interest. India being the largest democracy work on the principle of by the people and for the people and henceforth the people, the government and the opposition must work hand in hand to resolve the issue in an integral part of northeast India.
Northeast India seeks equal representation as compared to the rest of India in matters of serious concern like the political and civil unrest taking place in Manipur. Manipur is clearly burning and it's time that media both on a national-international front provides a wider perspective on this issue and that the government rather than focusing on petty vote-seeking national issues must focus on real arenas of politics.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi shall hold press conferences and talks to address the issue on national television as this way the people of Manipur can be assured that their leader is actually concerned about them and is not neglecting their interest, this is a major way to curb the unrest. The government irrespective of the membership shall take action against those who are found to be the actual culprits of this menacing affair happening in Manipur
The government at the state central level must initiate prospects that make communities of Manipur economically interdependent this way the communities will have fewer clashes amongst themselves and they will be working and living together in a unified manner.
Thanks for your precious time I hope you liked the blog. This blog is a factual one with an ounce of my opinion. Your feedbacks are always welcome. Please leave your likes on this one accordingly and share it with your friends and family.
Support and bring a change in Manipur as it is like every other part of India. If we are in this together “we shall overcome this someday”
Happy reading!
By Janhvi Singh
