Author: Pallavi Bhagat
For the past 83 days, violence has persisted in Manipur. Meanwhile, several of these videos have surfaced and stunned the whole nation. In this video, two Kuki community women are shown being paraded naked around the street. The talk around this video has spread to every corner of the globe. Narendra Modi, the prime minister, also denounced it. He declared that criminals would not be tolerated in any way.
Additionally, this issue has been given solely to consideration by the Supreme Court. Chief Justice DY Chandrachud has ordered the Central and State Governments to take severe measures. The Chief Justice also warned that we will act independently if the government doesn’t respond.
What prompted the violence?
We need to be aware of Manipur’s geographic position to comprehend this. Imphal, the state’s capital, is in the Centre. 57% of the state’s residents live in this 10% of the state. Hilly lands comprise 90% of the surrounding area, where 43% of the state’s residents reside. The Meitei group has a sizable presence in the Imphal Valley region. Most of them are Hindus. They make up around 53% of Manipur’s overall population. According to the data, 40 of the state’s 60 MLAs are members of the Meitei group.
Conversely, the hilly regions are home to 33 recognized tribes. The Naga and Kuki tribes stand out among these. These two tribes are mainly Christian. In addition, the Muslim and Sanmahi populations make up about 8–8% of Manipur’s population.
The hill tribes of Manipur enjoy unique status and privileges under Article 371C of the Indian Constitution, whereas the Meitei group does not. The “Land Reform Act” prevents the Meitei community from acquiring land in mountainous areas and settling there. However, there are no restrictions on tribes moving from steep places to the valley and residing there. The disparities between the two communities have grown as a result of this.
When did the violence begin?
The current conflict originated in the district of Churachandpur. It is 63 kilometres south of Imphal, the state’s capital. In this district, there are more Kuki tribals. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum announced an eight-hour strike for protesting the government land survey on April 28 in Churachandpur. This proximity quickly developed into violence. In Tuibong that evening, vandals set fire to the forest department’s office. The police and the Kuki tribals mainly conflicted with the 27–28 April unrest.
The All Tribal Students’ Union of Manipur organised the ‘Adivasi Ekta March’ on May 3, the fifth day. It was opposed to the Meitei community receiving ST classification. From this point on, things only got worse. In opposition to this tribal protest, the Meitei community rose. The conflict involved three parties.
The Meitei community members were on one side, and the Kuki and Naga community members were on the other. The state quickly began to burn in the flames of this aggression. On May 4th, Churachandpur is scheduled to host a rally for Chief Minister Biren Singh. The location for the programme and the tents were both set on fire during the night despite all precautions. The programme for CM was postponed. More than 150 individuals have already perished as a result of this violence. According to reports, at than 3,000 persons had injuries.
Three leading causes of violence?
1. Opposition to the Meitei community’s ST status: For the past few years, the Meitei Tribe Union has requested tribal recognition for the Meitei tribe. The Manipur High Court heard the case. Upon learning of this, the Manipur High Court ordered the state administration to present the recommendation of the 10-year-old Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs by April 19. The Meitei community has requested to be given the status of a tribe in this suggestion.
The Meitei community must now have tribal status under the court’s judgement. The Supreme Court has now received a challenge against the High Court’s ruling. The matter is being heard by a bench consisting of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice PS Narasimha, and Justice JB Pardiwala.
2. The government’s response to unlawful encroachments: Amid the reserve controversy, the Manipur government’s response to illegal encroachments fueled the flames. According to the Manipur government, members of the tribal community illegally invaded protected woods and forest sanctuaries to grow opium. Under the Manipur Forest Rule 2021, the government is campaigning to clear any encroachments on forest land to address these issues.
The indigenous people claim that this is their ancestral home at the same time. They have been residing there for a while, not invading. The indigenous people saw the government’s effort as an attempt to drive them from their ancestral lands. Consequently, rage grew.
3. Kuki insurgent groups violated the government agreement: During the unrest, Kuki insurgent groups violated the 2008 deal with the central government. In fact, up until 2005, several Kuki ethnic organisations were actively engaged in the military conflict. The federal government struck a suspension of operation (SoS) deal with nearly all Kuki rebel organizations in 2008 during the Manmohan Singh administration to halt military operations against them.
What have the authorities said?
The chief minister of Manipur, N.Biren Singh, stated that he is “constantly in touch” with India’s home minister, Amit Shah, to monitor the situation, adding that it “continues to improve and normalcy returns.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi voiced outrage at the bloodshed in Manipur. “My heart is full of pain and anger,” the prime minister said. Any civilized society would find the Manipur episode to be an embarrassment. Our responsibility is to identify the sinners and criminals, yet the entire nation is being derided. One hundred forty crore citizens are embarrassed. I implore every Chief Minister to take the most drastic measures to safeguard the mothers and sisters. Boost the rule of law and security in your states. Let’s put politics aside regardless of the incident’s location—Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, or Manipur.
Chief Justice DY Chandrachud: “We will give the government some time to act, or else we will take this matter into our own hands.” According to us, the court should be informed of the government’s actions so that violent offenders can be charged. Using women as weapons of violence in what has been displayed in the media and in the images that have surfaced is against constitutional democracy. It constitutes a grave constitutional breach and violation of human life.
Who has been accused of making women roam naked, and what is the situation now?
According to sources, The two ladies exhibited naked in the popular video are Kuki. The violence was only beginning on May 4th when this footage was made. The Meitei tribe has been charged with forcing women to go about nude.
At the Nongpok Sekmai police station in the Thobal district, the authorities have reported a case of kidnapping, gang rape, and murder against unidentified armed criminals. N. Biren Singh, the chief minister of Manipur, has established a different team to look into the situation. The State Government has also been asked to provide a report on this matter to the Central Government. Smriti Irani, the Union Minister for Women and Children’s Welfare, also spoke with the Chief Minister.
