Manipur, with over 35 communities inhabiting its valleys and hills, has a history of violence and deadly clashes. Ethnic violence has been brewing in the State for sometime as mutual suspicion between ethnic groups in the Imphal valley and the hills turned into simmering conflict between the Meiteis and the Kukis, especially after the order of the Manipur High Court on March 27, asking the State to recommend Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to Meiteis. Before this, the Manipur government had begun a drive to evict tribal villages from reserved forests, which was perceived to be an anti-tribal move, in turn leading to discontent and suspicion among the Kukis and other tribals. Hundreds of Kuki tribals have been dislodged from their traditional settlement areas without rehabilitation. The Kukis, with 10 MLAs in the 60-member Legislative Assembly, and the Kuki People’s Alliance being a part of the ruling coalition under the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the State, did not make any difference.
Community dynamics and tensions
This is not to say that the claims made by the Meiteis have no merit. They form 52% of the State’s population but are restricted to 10% of the geographical area, that is the Imphal valley. While relocating from hill to valley is legal, they cannot shift and relocate themselves (most are Vaishnav Hindus) because of their non-inclusion in the ST category to the hill area — 90% of which is occupied by Nagas and Kukis. There are some Meiteis who think that their Hindu identity has brought them no political and economic benefits; on the contrary, this has become a liability as they are not treated as STs, and are deprived of the right to occupy 90% of the territory of the State.
