MANIPUR – When will the state stop burning?

KAKALI DAS

Some members of IT cell will be shocked to know that Manipur is a part of India, and one can reach there sooner than the US or Egypt.

Recent incidents in Manipur have garnered international headlines.

Observers say that there is a division in the state between Meitei and Kuki communities. Over 100 people have died, thousands of homes burned, including MLA’s, displacing 50,000 people who are now in refugee camps, trying to survive. Manipur is on the brink of civil war.

Automatic rifles seized in thousands, and the situation is not under control despite presence of all forces. In fact, the army is saying that they cannot operate under the existing conditions. Olympic winner Mary Kom wrote, ‘my state is burning’. But Modi ji does not listen to medallists nowadays.

PM Modi has been silent over the crisis for two months, despite being active on social media – not a single message or tweet so far. People of the state waited for Mann Ki Baat, with the thought that may be Modi ji will say something in favour of Manipur, but when there was no mention, people protested.

People from the Meitei and Kuki community do not agree on any aspect, but there is one thing they do agree upon – that Modi ji, central government and general public of India does not care for Manipur.

What is happening in Manipur?

What is the deep-rooted reason?

Complete failure of Biren Singh government. How this double-engine government derailed?

Is normalcy possible?

“PM Modi has been silent over the crisis for two months, despite being active on social media – not a single message or tweet so far. People of the state waited for Mann Ki Baat, with the thought that may be Modi ji will say something in favour of Manipur, but when there was no mention, people protested.”

MANIPUR – When will the state stop burning?

Mapping the Manipur Divide

Before we understand the issue, we must know the geography, demography and history of the state. Take a look at the map of Manipur – it is clear that the state is in extreme northeast, sharing a border with Myanmar. From the physical map, two distinct geographical features are clear – the valley in the middle and the surrounding mountains.

Imphal valley in the middle covers only 10%, while the hills constitute 90% of the state. The major cause of division is this geography. The population density in the valley is more, as almost 60% people live there. The area of hills is 90%, but the number of population is only nearly 40% of the state – this division or difference between the valley and the hill is the cause of conflict in the state.

The facilities of clean drinking water, cooking fuel, healthcare, good nutrition, opportunities are all in the Imphal valley. In fact, the tourism industry is also limited to the Imphal valley.

It is no surprise that there is economic disparity. Most agriculture is done in the valley as the ground is fertile, so more production and hence more population density in the valley. But this geographical and economic divide is leading to social divide which can escalate and create social tension if the government does not focus in it.

Among the population, 60% population is Meitei and 40% is Kuki and Naga. 90-95% Meitei are living in the valley region and 90-95% Kuki and Naga are in the hills. So, the Meitei community has better facilities and opportunities, and more political power because of majority population share. Of 60 seats in assembly, 40 seats are held by Meitei community.

But, why is this demographic distribution?

“Modi is not able to chair at least one meeting in Manipur yet. After returning from the trip, he went to Bhopal and attended the program on Mera Booth Sabse Majboot for hours – but no sound byte on Manipur as of now. May be, it is the fear that if he gets openly involved and the situation worsens, then his good image will be tarnished. That is why, no statement, no president rule.”

A Brief History of Manipur

Thousands of years ago, the Meitei community migrated from north Myanmar and settled in the Imphal valley, and ruled there for many centuries – they first followed their own indigenous religion, Sanamahi. And in 1730s, they converted to Hinduism when the king of Manipur himself became Hindu.

In early 1800s, Burma invaded Manipur and then the British made Manipur part of their empire. In 1949, Manipur became a union territory of India as the Maharaja signed an agreement. However, it is said that the king did not take permission from Manipur’s legislative council and thus began separatist militant movement in Manipur. Historically speaking, all communities in Manipur have been a part of separatist movement.

One thing is clear from this short history – the strong political influence of Meitei community in the Imphal valley. Meitei community also attempted to extend their control over the hills. That is the cause of conflict between the two communities, therefore it is an age old conflict.

Who are these hill based tribes in Manipur? There are 33 tribes recognised in Manipur. All these tribes are broadly divided into two groups – Naga and Kuki-Zomi-Mizo-Chin. (I will refer to the latter as Kuki community in the later part of the article.)

The Naga tribes live in the north hills and Kuki tribes live in the south – both have been historically semi nomadic communities – they are not only settlers who create villages but also make use of slash and burn cultivation. Both the communities converted to Christianity nearly 150 years ago and consider the hills as their home.

Although the Naga and Kuki communities also clashed in the past, but both agree on Meitei’s dominance. On the other hand, Meitei believe that their presence and influence are declining – this is the basis of clash.

“What is Centre’s reaction at times of crisis? The campaigning of BJP is vocal and loud during elections. Modi ji even said that there will be development and stability if their government formed. But when it was time to prove his ground, Modi was busy travelling the world.”

Who started the fire?

Meitei are saying that they are becoming minorities in their own state and their land is being taken away slowly. The argument of Meitei is that the Kuki and Naga tribes have scheduled tribe status which Meitei don’t, and which is why they cannot freely buy land in the hill districts, but anyone can easily come and settle in the Imphal valley. That is why, Meitei say that they may even lose 10% area of their land.

It is also said that the illegal Kuki immigrants from Myanmar are entering and demography of the state is changing. Moreover, the immigrants are settling in reserve forests and cultivating poppy, so Meitei believes action must be taken.

Meitei wants to save their tradition, culture and language, otherwise they will become the minority – some of these groups have even demanded ST status in the Manipur high court, which if granted, would give Meitei the right to buy land in the hills and settle.

A shocking judgement is made by the single judge bench – Justice MV Muralidaran gave notice to the Centre and Manipur govt. on review petition, ruling in favour of the Meitei. Question is, was Justice Muralidaran in the position to make that decision? The Supreme Court criticised Manipur HC’s order and it is not their jurisdiction to demand changes in ST list. But this one mistake by the High Court fuels the fire between the two groups.

Kuki majority town Churachandpur is where protests started – they said Meitei already have all the facilities and political control as well (majority seats in the assembly). And that, all except 2 CMs belonged to Meitei; Meitei language is recognized in the 8^th schedule. What does Kuki have except hills? If Meitei get ST status, they will grab the hills too. These have all been the concerns of the Kuki community for decades now.

The protests in Churachandpur turned violent and conditions in Manipur became worse day by day as both communities clashed. In the last two months, you must know how violent the crashes have been in the state. There is an environment of pain, anger and fear in Manipur. Meitei living in the hills returned to the valley region and Kuki living in the valley went back to the hills – a partition in the state.

“A question on the union government is also raised – What did they do when this kind of polarization happened under their government? Where was Moshah’s so-called ‘Chanakya Neeti’? Or was this polarization happening as per plan? It happened before in the other states, but it backfired in Manipur.”

Biren Singh govt. fails

How did the situation get out of hand? One question is – what is the Naga group doing amid all this controversy? They were not involved in the violence, though they also don’t want ST status for Meitei. Because what is happening in Manipur is Meitei VS Kuki polarization and not just valley VS hill. It is also because there is perception in the Meitei that Kuki are outsiders who entered from Myanmar.

The BJP Biren Singh govt. also played a role in worsening the situation. It is not that the issues raised by Meitei are not genuine but they need to be handled with sensitivity. Kuki community says that CM Biren Singh is running Meitei majoritarian govt. and Kukis are persecuted.

There are three major issues in the state – reserve forests, immigration and poppy cultivation.

Reserve Forests – Kuki says that they are being pushed away in the name of reserved forests. In February this year, a whole Kuki village was destroyed in the town of Churachandpur – in the name of forest protection.
Illegal Poppy Plantations – To prevent illegal poppy plantation, Biren Singh govt. took control of lands in hill district. CM accused Kuki groups of narco-terrorism – that these communities make money off poppy plants. It is true that poppy plantation is happening and there is a drug trade system at India Myanmar border. But to deal with it, a holistic social economic solution is needed – targeting one community won’t help – it will only increase tension between the two groups.
Immigration – Biren Singh said that many illegal immigrants are entering from Myanmar so an NRC type verification drive is needed to be done. And as per the sources, the focus is now on verification drive to be taken up in five districts, including Chandel, Churachanpur, Tengnoupal, Kamjong and Pherzawl for identifying illegal immigrants.

Yes, people in the Kuki community migrated from Myanmar, but it is worth noting that Kuki tribes have always been migrating from before there was India or Myanmar border.

Migration has also increased because of civil war in Myanmar – people are taking shelter in North Eastern states. For ex – Mizoram gave shelter to 40,000 refugees and Mizoram home minister proudly said that they will provide humanitarian aid. Just because someone drew international border, does not mean they won’t shelter their brothers and sisters.

Even though the Manipur state govt. did not make such an announcement, the Kuki community gave shelter to the refugees. They say that they are not illegal – our brothers and sisters who are escaping from war torn areas. The Biren Singh government did not understand that ethnic ties are more important to Kukis than international boundaries.

If situation was getting complex, then government should have done a consensus and found a long term social economic solution. The government only represented Meitei perspective and things worsened. A clear perception was formed that the government was against the Kukis and considered them encroachers, drug traders.

Modi-Shah’s Biggest Failure

A question on the union government is also raised – What did they do when this kind of polarization happened under their government? Where was Moshah’s so-called ‘Chanakya Neeti’? Or was this polarization happening as per plan? It happened before in the other states, but it backfired in Manipur.

Why isn’t there president’s rule in Manipur yet? Everyone is demanding for the president’s rule in Manipur so that it shows to people that the govt. is serious – but this basic step was not taken yet. What is Centre’s long term plan? What is the alternative policy of poppy cultivation? Can refugees from Manipur be given space under some policy? We are an expert in insider outsider politics, but what happens when it comes to finding comprehensive sensitive solution?

What is Centre’s reaction at times of crisis? The campaigning of BJP is vocal and loud during elections. Modi ji even said that there will be development and stability if their government formed. But when it was time to prove his ground, Modi was busy travelling the world.

Modi is not able to chair at least one meeting in Manipur yet. After returning from the trip, he went to Bhopal and attended the program on Mera Booth Sabse Majboot for hours – but no sound byte on Manipur as of now. May be, it is the fear that if he gets openly involved and the situation worsens, then his good image will be tarnished. That is why, no statement, no president rule.

Why is it not apparent that the PM cares for this state? Or may be, it does not matter to him at all – as LS seats in Manipur are merely two. But this is not about the 2 seats – this is about 1000s of stolen automatic rifles and 50,000 displaced people. It is said that after Amit Shah’s all party meeting, some peace will prevail – he told CM Biren Singh to maintain peace in Imphal valley and that troops will be deployed in the Hill districts.

But, merely sending army to the place doesn’t solve a thing, because many groups are not co-operating with the army – like women protesters’ block up of an army convoy recently. Army is also helpless in the region and releasing statements, appealing to all sections of society to cooperate with the security forces working day and night to bring peace and stability in Manipur.

These all indicates that without political solution, any peace keeping operation will not succeed – forceful measures may not work.

Can peace prevail?

Those who died can’t return but 50,000 displaced can return to their homes – political will is needed.

The solutions –

Finger pointing should be stopped – Every community has different opinions and values, but framing and blaming one community will worsen the case. Only factual reporting should be done – no exaggeration, and please don’t turn this into Hindu Christian issue.
Constant Meeting and Dialogue – PM Modi has to chair all party meeting in Manipur and address people, as is done when asking for votes.
Remove Biren Singh as CM – An agreeable political solution can be reached after discussion, but if Kuki community demands ouster of CM Biren Singh, then kindly do consider it. Thinking too much before removing a leader won’t work.

Kuki groups say that separation is the only way of peace – valley and hills are interlinked economically – whatever the solution both communities should be able to prosper.

Lastly, the so called people from mainland India should introspect. We were focusing on Karnataka elections, Adipurush, etc. for months – but what about Manipur? We should develop empathy for fellow citizens and put pressure on the central government too – this article is a timid attempt in that direction.

The question is also on media – as they rarely cover northeast. But, when people will be interested to know, media obviously will cover too.

Images from different sources

04-07-2023

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