Bridging the growing trust deficit in Manipur

Source– The post is based on the article “Bridging the growing trust deficit in Manipur” published in “The Hindu” on 9thJune 2023.

Syllabus: GS3- Security

Relevance- Security Issues related to north-east

News- Ethnic violence between the Meiteis and the Kukis in Manipur is taking place for some days, especially after the Manipur High Court’s march order. The order asked the State to recommend Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to Meiteis.

What are the concerns of Kukis that are responsible for conflict?

Manipur High Court asked the State to recommend ST status to Meiteis.

The Manipur government had begun a drive to evict tribal villages from reserved forests. It was perceived to be an anti-tribal move. It led to discontent and suspicion among the Kukis and other tribals.

Hundreds of Kuki tribals have been dislodged from their traditional settlement areas without rehabilitation.

What are the concerns of Meiteis that are responsible for conflict?

Meiteis form 52% of the State’s population but are restricted to 10% of the geographical area.  They cannot shift and relocate themselves because of their non-inclusion in the ST category to the hill area.

Meiteis are concerned that non-inclusion in STs list has deprived them of the right to occupy 90% of the territory of the State.

The land issue is more crucial for them. Meiteis have had a history of violence and struggles before integration with India and acquiring the Hindu tag.

They formed several insurgent groups such as the People’s Liberation Army, with bases in Bangladesh and Myanmar. They also protested the presence of Mayangs which included Manipur Muslims called Pangals.

What is the way forward to calm the situation?

The solution lies in military operations, till the intensity and the spread of the violence is controlled. The Indian Army, the Central Reserve Police Force, the Border Security Force and even the Indian Air Force have been deployed.

The Centre’s stand and the presence of the Army and central forces are restoring the confidence of the Kukis.

The administrative and judicial interventions of the immediate past have proved to be very costly. It is necessary to take care of the sensitivities of the tribals, their susceptibilities. There is a need to undo the damaging steps that have created the trust deficit, which is the root cause for the turmoil now.