Manipur known as ‘Jewel land’ of India is burning for more than two months. The ethnic clashes between two tribal communities – Meiteis and Kukis have caused unprecedented damage to the border state. More than 150 people have been killed, bodies mutilated, women raped, scores of villages razed to the ground, and more than 50,000 people have fled their homes to seek refuge in relief camps. More than 200 churches and 17 temples have been destroyed by the frenzied mobs. A beautiful hillstate which gave to India a world renowned boxer Mary Kom has been disfigured because of warring factions. On May 4, 2023, Mary Kom passionately called for help and said, “My state Manipur is burning, kindly help.” This is the cry of our daughter, an Olympic medallist who brought laurels to India by winning medals in World Boxing Championships.
Land seems to be at the centre of the conflict. The majority Meitei community which is predominantly Hindu, form 53% of Manipur population. They are mostly settled in Imphal Valley which occupies barely 10% of the land area of the state. On the other hand, the tribal Kukis and Nagas which form about 40% of Manipur population live in the surrounding hilly areas forming 90% of the land area of the state. The hilly area is a protected land for the tribal and it is not accessible to the Meiteis. They have been demanding Scheduled Tribe status so that the land in the hilly area is accessible to them also. At present the peaceful resolution of the conflict seems to be a distant reality.
The violence continued for a long time because both the state and central governments failed miserably to respond to the precarious situation and restore law and order. The internet ban including broadband services imposed in the first week of May has been partially lifted. It was blocked by the government to deter spread of fake news and misinformation on social media. But it had deleterious effects since without access to internet the ground has been rife with rumours and fake news. Such rumours ignite passions and become the basis for one community to retaliate by attacking another community which the former community considers as its foe. This leads to counter-retaliation and has no end until somebody intervenes to reconcile both warring communities by bringing them to understand the truth. There is access to arms and ammunitions in this border state because of unchecked entry of the weapons from the Myanmar border. The young men use these weapons in the name of self-defence and therefore most village volunteer groups are armed. In the event of slightest provocation they use guns and therefore there is bloodshed.
To add fuel for the fire, two Kuki women of Manipur were disrobed, and paraded, groped and the younger one of the two was gang-raped. A spine-chilling video of these women has gone viral. This horrific incident took place on May 4, more than two months before the video surfaced on social media. Finally PM Narendra Modi has broken his two-month long-silence in the wake of this event and condemned it. But it is too little, too late. Nero played his fiddle while Rome was burning. Was the PM playing his fiddle while Manipur was burning?
