Violent clashes were reported from several parts of Manipur after with a mass rally held by tribal group Wednesday afternoon. The Indian Army has been deployed in areas bordering Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts. At least 4,000 villagers have been shifted to various places.
An Army statement read, “The columns of Army/AR with State police intervened to controlled situation in the night. The violence was arrested by the morning. A number of villagers, approximately 4000, were given shelter in Army/AR COBs and state government premises at various places. Flag marches are being conducted to keep the situation under control.”
Violence erupts during ‘Tribal Solidarity March’
Violence erupted on Wednesday afternoon during the ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in Torbung area of Churachandpur district. The rally was in protest against the demand by non-tribal Meiteis, who dominate the Imphal Valley, for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, following an April 19 Manipur High Court directive, reported PTI.
The directive recommended inclusion of the Meitei/Meetei community in the Scheduled Tribe list of the Constitution of India, which was strongly opposed by the state’s tribal groups. The Hill Areas Committee (HAC), the autonomous body empowered to monitor legislation and administration of hill areas of the state, unanimously resolved to urge the government of Manipur and Centre against the High Court order.
Thousands of agitators took part in the rally which saw clashes between tribals and non-tribals, re-opening an old ethnic faultline in the state between the plain-dwelling Meitei community and the hill tribes – Kukis and Nagas.
Police then fired several rounds of tear gas shells to control the situation, officials said.
Curfew imposed in several areas
In view of the sensitive situation, curfew was imposed in non-tribal dominated Imphal West, Kakching, Thoubal, Jiribam and Bishnupur districts and tribal-dominated Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and Tengnoupal districts. Mobile internet services have been suspended across the state for five days.
Sporadic incidents of violence were reported from several parts of the state, including capital Imphal, following Wednesday’s violence. In Imphal city, there were several reports of homes belonging to tribal community being allegedly attacked, reported The Indian Express.
The protest march was carried out in hill districts of Senapati, Ukhrul, Kangpokpi, Tamenglong, Churachandpur, Chandel and Tengnoupal. Banners which read, ‘Come now let us reason together’, ‘Meiteis already enjoy SC, OBC and EBC reservations’, ‘Meiteis can’t eat all the pie and have it too’, ‘Meiteis are not tribals, they are SC, OBC & Brahmin’, ‘No protection for our land if Meiteis become ST’, ‘Tribals of Manipur Unite’, ‘We want 6th Schedule for our Survival, No 6th Schedule no rest’ were displayed during the protest.
CM N Biren Singh appeals for peace
After the violent clashes on Wednesday, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh issued a statement appealing for peace. He said that the incidents were a result of a prevailing misunderstanding between the two communities and appealed to people of the state to maintain law and order.
“We are committed to protect the lives and property of all our people. Long term grievances of different communities will also be suitably addressed in due course in consultation with the people and their representatives,” Singh said in a video statement issued on Thursday.
Tension between two communities
The Wednesday incident is rooted in a deep fault line running between the Valley (where Meiteis) live and hills (inhabited by tribes -Nagas and Kukis). While Meiteis have long demaded to be included in the ST list, the state’s tribal community has strongly opposed the move. They claim that it would further marginalise them, as there is a perception in the state among the hill tribes that the Meiteis wield more economic and political power in state, despite hill tribes accounting for nine-tenths of the state’s geographical area.
The incident comes just days after violence was reported in the Churachandpur district, following Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s planned visit to the district to inaugurate an open gym, which was set on fire later. The Kuki tribe in the district was protesting a government land survey in the Churachandpur-Khoupum Protected Forest region, as well an earlier eviction drive carried out as “part of the government’s initiative to protect and preserve protected/reserve forests.”