The northeastern Indian state of Manipur has been gripped by a devastating cycle of ethnic violence since May 2023, claiming over 130 lives, injuring hundreds, and displacing tens of thousands. This deadly conflict, one of the deadliest in Manipur’s recent history, stems from long-simmering tensions between the majority Meitei community and the minority Kuki tribe over the Meiteis’ demand for tribal status and associated benefits.
The origins of the conflict can be traced back centuries to the history of the Meitei community, the ethnic majority concentrated in Manipur’s Imphal Valley region. Originally recognized as a tribe before the 1949 merger of the Manipur kingdom with newly-independent India, the Meiteis lost this coveted tribal status after accession.
This pivotal event gradually eroded the community’s access to tribal welfare schemes, land rights, political representation, and preservation of their distinct cultural identity. Feeling marginalized in their homeland, a movement took shape among Meiteis demanding the restoration of their lost tribal status and associated benefits like reservations in government jobs and educational institutions.
Trigger and Escalating Manipur Violence
The final flashpoint occurred on May 3, 2023, when the All Tribal Students Union Manipur (ATSUM) organized a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ in Churachandpur district to protest the potential granting of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to Meiteis. Clashes erupted between the marchers and Meitei residents, sparking arson, vandalism, and retaliatory attacks that spiraled out of control over subsequent months.
What followed was an extremely brutal conflict marked by gruesome reports of massacres, sexual violence, beheadings, and other atrocities committed by both Meitei and Kuki militants. Some of the most heinous incidents included the burning alive of Kuki villagers by Meitei mobs, the alleged gang-rape of Kuki women that sparked revenge killings, and the razing of entire Meitei-dominated villages by Kuki militants, forcing mass displacement.
As of early 2024, over 60,000 people from both communities have been rendered homeless, taking refuge in 360 temporary relief camps set up by authorities amid reports of over 187 deaths and 6,000 injuries from the violence. The enormity of this humanitarian crisis has seen collaborative relief efforts by government agencies, the judiciary, UN bodies, and NGOs to provide shelter, food, financial aid, polling facilities, and educational support to the displaced.
While the trigger was the Scheduled Tribe status demanded by Meiteis, the conflict has roots in Manipur’s complex ethnic landscape and fraught history. The Kuki and related Zo tribes form around 16% of Manipur’s population, and their apprehensions about Meitei dominance stem from long-standing fears over land rights, autonomy, and preserving their distinct identity.
Adding to this volatile mix are other tribal groups like the Nagas, who have been engaged in a decades-old separatist movement for a sovereign Naga homeland across Manipur and neighboring states. Naga militias have historically clashed with both the Indian state and the Meitei community over this homeland demand and religious differences.
The geographic location of Manipur itself is also a complicating geopolitical factor, given its strategic position for trade transit routes between India’s landmass and Southeast Asia. Moreover, the conflict sees influences from dynamics across international borders, with the shared presence of ethnic communities straddling Manipur and Myanmar fostering solidarity ties. The porous Indo-Myanmar border has facilitated arms smuggling into Manipur, emboldening militants.
Efforts Towards Peace and Reconciliation
In the face of immense violence and humanitarian suffering, efforts are aimed at promoting dialogue, reconciliation, and confidence-building between the Meitei and Kuki communities.
From civil society groups organizing peace workshops and interfaith congregations advocating tolerance and unity to youth exchange programs fostering cross-community friendships and calls by academics and policy experts for inclusive governance and autonomy models that balance rights, a multitude of stakeholders have tried opening communication channels.
However, mistrust runs deep, with Kuki groups rejecting peace talks and instead demanding a separate administration for Kuki-Hmar areas, while hardline Meitei bodies are pushing to delist Kuki tribes from the ST list entirely, stripping their existing quotas. The legal battles continue, with the Supreme Court criticizing the Manipur High Court’s recommendation on granting ST status to Meiteis as the case remains sub-judice.
As the cycle of violence and revenge attacks persists despite heavy securitization by Indian forces, most stakeholders agree that any sustainable solution will require a comprehensive approach carefully balancing all sides’ rights and grievances through meaningful political engagement.
One proposed solution involves granting administrative autonomy to the hill areas predominantly inhabited by tribes like the Kukis, in accordance with the provisions laid out in the Indian Constitution. Additionally, there are calls for implementing development programs aimed at improving the socio-economic conditions of the local population, with a specific focus on providing economic opportunities and avenues for the youth, in an effort to discourage their involvement in militant activities.
Regional cooperation through bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, tackling cross-border security issues like arms trafficking and militant activity, while also upholding civil liberties and human rights will likely form the supporting scaffolding for any overarching peace process to take root durably.
