2023 Manipur Violence Explained [UPSC Notes]

Violent protests and clashes erupted in Manipur as the Manipur High Court directed the State Government to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Meitei community based on a 10-year-old recommendation. This article describes the events that are unfolding in Manipur in May 2023. This topic is relevant for the IAS exam as there are many issues such as reservations, ST status, shoot-at-sight orders, etc. related to this incident.

Manipur’s Ethnic Composition

• Geographical features and the location of the State have a significant influence on the problems faced by Manipur. 
• There are 16 districts in Manipur and the State is said to be divided into “valley” and “hill” districts. 
• The Imphal Valley lies at the centre of the State and is surrounded by hills.
• Four highways act as the access points to the valley from the rest of the region out of which two highways are regarded as the “lifelines for the State”. 
• The valley accounts for about 10% of Manipur’s landmass and is dominated by the non-tribal Meitei.
  • People belonging to the Meitei community account for over 64% of the State population and yield 40 out of the 60 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) of the State.
• Meanwhile, the hills that account for close to 90% of the geographical area of the State are inhabited by about 35% recognised tribes but are represented by only 20 MLAs.
• The majority of the Meiteis are Hindus followed by Muslims and the 33 recognised tribes who are broadly categorised as “Any Naga tribes” and “Any Kuki tribes” are mainly Christians.

Manipur Violence Historical Background

• The valley districts of Thoubal, Bishnupur, Kakching, Imphal East and Imphal West were part of the erstwhile kingdom of Kangleipak. 
  • The kingdom of Kangleipak was ruled by the Ningthouja dynasty. 
• According to many historians, the tribal patches outside the valley were also part of the kingdom. However, such claims are disputed by the tribes, especially the Naga tribes.
• The kingdom of Kangleipak, which was a British protectorate, was repeatedly attacked by the Naga tribes from the northern hills. 
• In order to protect the valley, the British political agent in Manipur is said to have brought the Kuki-Zomi from the Kuki-Chin hills of Burma to make it a buffer territory between the Meiteis and the Nagas.
• The Kukis, similar to the Nagas, were fierce headhunting warriors and the Maharaja provided them land along the ridges, where they could act as a shield for the valley.

Meitei Community’s Demands for ST Status

• Since 2012, there has been a constant demand led by the Scheduled Tribes Demand Committee of Manipur (STDCM) for granting the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Meitei community.
• The Meetei (Meitei) Tribe Union had filed a petition before the Manipur High Court and had argued that the Meitei community was once recognised as a “tribe” before the merger of the princely state of Manipur with the Union of India in 1949 and that it lost its identity as a tribe after the merger.
• Petitioners had further argued that the ST status must be extended to the community in order to preserve the community and save their ancestral land, tradition, culture and language. According to STDCM:
  • The Meitei community has been victimised without any constitutional protection. 
  • They have been gradually marginalised in their ancestral land. 
  • And the population of the Meitei community has reduced from 59% of the total population of Manipur in 1951 to 44% as per 2011 Census data.

Manipur High Court’s Judgement

• The Manipur High Court on April 19, 2023, asked the Manipur government to submit a 10-year-old recommendation to the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the ST list within four weeks.
• The High Court referred to the Union Tribal Ministry’s letter to the State government in May 2013 which had sought recommendations along with the latest socio-economic survey and ethnographic report.

Opposition by other tribal groups

• The demand for ST status for the Meitei community has been opposed by the other tribal groups of the state.
• These tribal groups opine that the individuals of the Meitei community already have a demographic as well as a political advantage.
  • They further argue that the Meitei community is more advanced than the tribal groups academically and in other aspects. 
• According to the various tribal organisations, granting ST status to the Meiteis would result in the loss of employment opportunities and would also allow Meiteis to acquire land in the hills which would ultimately push the tribals out.
• Additionally, groups like the All Tribal Students’ Union of Manipur also argue that the Manipuri language of the Meiteis is included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution and that various sections of the community are already enjoying various benefits associated with the Scheduled Castes (SC) or Other Backward Classes (OBC) status. 

Recent Unrest in Manipur

• Following the April 19th directives of the Manipur High Court, the All Tribal Students’ Union of Manipur (ATSUM) called for a “Tribal Solidarity March”.
• The March was organised in protest against the demand for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the ST category.  However, violent clashes broke out at various places during the march.
• The situation in Manipur turned extreme and violent which saw the deployment of the Indian Army and other central police forces.
• The Manipur government also authorised all District Magistrates to issue “shoot at sight orders” in “extreme cases” in order to control the situation.

Other reasons for the recent unrest

• The divide between the Meiteis and tribals such as Kukis on various issues has aggravated in recent years.
• Displeasure over the state government’s notices which claim that the 38 villages in the Churachandpur-Khoupum Protected Forest area are “illegal settlements” and its residents are “encroachers” and the eviction drive that followed the notices led to serious clashes.
• Concerns and displeasure over the first delimitation process in the state since 1973.
• The widespread refugee crisis in the State on account of a military coup in Myanmar.
  • Meitei leaders have alleged that there has been a sudden mushrooming of villages in the Churachandpur district.
  • The Kuki-Zomi tribesmen of both countries are bound by strong links of ethnicity, customs, language, and dress.
• Pro-government groups in the State believe that a few tribal groups with vested interests are trying to scuttle the government’s battle against drugs.

Supreme Court’s Views

• The Supreme Court has regarded the Manipur crisis as a “humanitarian problem” and expressed concerns about the loss of life and property.
• The apex court had further noted that it is the President who has the power to designate a community as Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe and not the High Court.
• The Chief Justice of India (CJI) has urged the Centre and the Manipur government to undertake efforts to protect the people.

Centre’s stand

• The Union Home Minister said that the order passed by the Manipur High Court will be studied and discussed with all stakeholders and appropriate decisions will be taken after consultation.
• The Indian Army has deployed Heron Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and helicopters to increase surveillance on the situation in Manipur and along the Indo-Myanmar Border.

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