Is Manipur destined for infinite injustice?

The question arises: how can a government that has seen the consequences  of their actions in Kashmir, allow Manipur to spiral into a similar cycle of unrest  and alienation?  

By Bhumishka Sharma

The ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur, which erupted in May 2023, has  sparked a serious humanitarian crisis, claiming over 200 lives and displacing thousands. At the heart of the conflict are two communities — the  Meiteis, who live in and around the Imphal Valley,  and the Kukis, who live in the hills and forests. Their long-standing ethnic, cultural and political  tensions have now reached a breaking point. 

The Meiteis, who are Hindu, and dominant in the economic and power equations in the state, have sought scheduled tribe status, a move opposed  by the Kukis, a Christian tribal group, fearing it would  undermine their land and forest rights. This escalating violence is  rooted in deep divisions and competition for resources, creating a volatile  situation that demands urgent attention and resolution. 

The current situation in Manipur, a sensitive border state, remains tense following ongoing ethnic violence and recent incidents that have escalated the conflict. Curfew has been imposed in seven districts, including Imphal West and  East, to control the situation. Internet services in these areas have also been suspended. The stringent Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) has been imposed in a few police stations, including in Meitei areas.  

In one heartbreaking incident three Meitei mothers and their little girls were kidnapped from a refugee camp near a para-military force camp, and murdered, shot in cold blood. Their bodies were found floating in a river. 

It has been reported that in Churachandpur district, a Kuki  family of five were killed as they tried to flee their burning home.  Eyewitnesses recounted how mobs blocked roads, cutting off escape routes, leaving families to perish. In Kangpokpi, a group of displaced women described trekking in difficult terrain for days through forests with their children, only to find  overcrowded relief camps that lacked basic amenities. 

The government has increased the deployment of security forces, with over  90 additional companies sent to the state to manage the situation. Relief camps, such as the ones in Moirang and Moreh, have become  breeding grounds of malnutrition and disease. A report from Moirang  revealed that over 30 children under the age of five had developed acute  malnutrition due to inadequate food supplies. 

Pregnant women, like 27- year-old Mary Kuki, have reported miscarriages attributed to the lack of  medical care and nutrition in the camps. Over 50,000 people have been displaced due to the conflict. 

Women and children, especially in refugee camps, face heightened risks of  malnutrition, disease, and trauma. Cases of exploitation and abuse in some  camps have been reported, but are rarely investigated, or highlighted in mainstream  discussions. The prolonged unrest has devastated small businesses, farmers, and local markets.  

A particularly disturbing incident occurred in the border town of Moreh,  where two women reported being sexually assaulted by armed men while  attempting to collect water from a nearby stream. Despite the severity of  the case, fear of retaliation and a lack of proper mechanisms for justice have  silenced many such women survivors. Similarly, reports from Imphal camps suggest  instances where young girls have been forced into exploitative labour in  exchange for food.

Communities in Jiribam and Bishnupur have seen a mass exodus. For example, the Kuki population in Jiribam has shrunk dramatically as families sought refuge in Mizoram, which shares common cultural and social ties with them. Many of these migrants face hostility and  discrimination in their new locations, struggling to find employment, schools, primary health care, friends and relatives. It often becomes difficult to integrate into host communities. 

According to media reports, in Tengnoupal district, farmers like Mohan Meitei have been unable to  access their fields for months due to the violence, leading to crop failure and economic losses.  Meanwhile, small shop owners in Imphal’s main market have suffered huge losses as curfew and fear keep customers away. Jiribam’s once-thriving  trade corridor has now become a conflict zone, disrupting supply chains across the region. 

The closure of over 200 schools and colleges in the affected districts has  reportedly deprived more than 30,000 students of education. In Imphal East, the principal of a government school recounted in a media report, how armed groups occupied the  school building, rendering it unusable. With internet blackouts in place, even online education has become impossible, leaving children unable to prepare for their board exams. 

 Border towns like Jiribam, once relatively peaceful, have now become hot spots of violence, disrupting trade and agricultural activities. Many  schools and colleges in violence-hit areas remain closed, affecting thousands  of students, and their teachers. 

The ongoing turmoil in Manipur raises an alarming question: is this North-Eastern state destined to remain trapped in a continuous cycle of tragedy and violence? Will peace and prosperity never return to its people? 

Prolonged ethnic violence, deep-rooted  communal divides, the violence by underground outfits, and the heavy-handed response of security forces, all hint  at a pattern that should have been averted. Instead, the same mistakes have been repeated again and again, with the state government showing partisan behaviour during the ceaseless conflict.

Instead, it appears that history is repeating itself, this time in a different region of the country. In Kashmir, decades of conflict were compounded by the State’s failure to address the violation of fundamental rights, amid simmering collective grievances. Terrorism seems to have grown in recent times in the Valley and in Jammu. This has led to a legacy of alienation, depression and despair. Similarly, the  central and state government’s approach to the Meitei-Kuki conflict in Manipur seems reactive and inconsistent. 

The repeated imposition of curfew, internet shutdowns, and the increasing militarization of civilian spaces indicate a reliance on  short-term measures, rather than tangible and rational long-term solutions,  or, a process of reconciliation and peace. The question arises: how can a government that has seen the consequences  of their actions in Kashmir, allow Manipur to spiral into a similar cycle of unrest  and alienation?  

Bhumishka Sharma is a Class 11 student of Dr BR Ambedkar School of Specialized Excellence (SoSE), Andrews Ganj, Delhi Board of Secondary Education, Delhi government.