Manipur : Issues and History

What Is The Problem In Manipur?

 

It can be said that the reason for the current conflict is a judgment of the Manipur High Court. The verdict was to recommend to the central government to grant Scheduled Caste status to the Meiti section of Manipur. The tribal solidarity march against this resulted in violence. The riots, which began on May 3rd and are still ongoing, have resulted in the loss of many lives and the displacement of hundreds of people.

 

In Manipur, the Meiti people live in the valleys. They constitute 53 percent of the population. They have influence in government services and politics. After that comes the High Court verdict. Nagas and Kukis live in the hills of Manipur. They constitute about 40 percent of the population. The government's operation in the hills to evacuate the migrants added to the problems.

Apart from the Naga, Kuki and other tribal groups, the move to evacuate those encamped in the forest areas has also unsettled them. The eviction began after the area where they lived was declared as a reserved forest area. This is the reason for the current conflict.

In India, a land of ethnic and sectarian conflict, the much-controversial Armed Forces Special Rights Act—AFSPA—was introduced to counter militancy in Manipur.

In 1950, the struggle for an independent Nagalim kingdom spread to parts of Manipur. As this struggle continued, the Meiti people also came up against the then king's move to annex Manipur to India.

In 1964 Meithi formed the National Liberation Front and demanded the independence of Manipur. Various groups came up with the same demand.Prominent among these were the People's Liberation Army and the People's Revolutionary Party of Kanglipek. China has provided assistance to some of these organizations. They had two goals. One is to secede from India and two is to stop the migration of Nagas. The conflict intensified in the 1990s.

In 1993, the Kuki clan was massacred by the Naga clan. Kukis and Sami ethnic groups formed armed groups against this.

Thus, Manipur became the ground of bloody clash of many ethnic groups. 1980 Manipur was declared a Troubled Area. The Kuki organization, which started as a defense organization, came forward for a free country called Kukiland. Chandpur district is the area where most of the armed groups operate.