Court Order For ST Tag To Meiteis, Eviction Drive: What Led To Manipur Violence — EXPLAINED 

The situation in Manipur is limping back to normalcy after the Army was called in and people were evacuated to safer places. Here's what led to the violence.

Guwahati: The Northeastern state of Manipur has been on the edge since February this year after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government launched an eviction drive which was largely considered to be targeting a particular tribal group. The eviction drive at the behest of Chief Minister N Biren Singh-led government initially led to small-scale protests, but not of the scale of the one on May 3 which was triggered by the Manipur High Court’s direction to the state to pursue a 10-year-old recommendation to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the non-tribal Meitei community.

ABOUT THE MEITY COMMUNITY

The Imphal Valley lies in the centre of the hill state and is dominated by the non-tribal Meitei community, accounting for more than 64 per cent of the state’s total population and sends 40 of the state’s 60 legislators.

On the other hand, the hill districts of the state are inhabited by more than 35 per cent of tribal people, of which, only 20 legislators, represent them in the state Legislative Assembly.

The Meiteis are mostly Hindus followed by Muslims, while the remaining 33 tribes are classified into various major and sub-tribes of the Naga and Kuki community, who are mostly Christians.

THE HC ORDER THAT TRIGGERED VIOLENCE

The Manipur High Court on April 19 this year, after hearing a petition by eight people representing the Meitei Tribe Union, directed the state government to submit a 10-year-old recommendation to the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the ST list, within four weeks. The court then referred to the ministry’s letter, dating back to May 2013, to the state government, seeking a specific recommendation, along with the latest socio-economic survey and ethnographic report.

The ministry’s letter followed a representation submitted by the Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee of Manipur (STDCM), which started its demand for ST status for the Meiteis in the year 2012. The petitioners then told the Manipur High Court that the Meitei community was recognized as a tribe much before the state merged with the Union of India in 1949. The Meiteis then argued that they needed the ST status to preserve and save their ancestral land, tradition, culture and language of the community.

The STDCM also reiterated that the Meiteis needed constitutional safeguards against outsiders, who have infiltrated into their territory, and stated that the community has been always kept away from the hills of the state while the tribal people are free to buy land in the Imphal Valley.

TRIBALS UNHAPPY

The tribals alleged that the Meitei community had a demographic and political advantage, and was more advanced academically and in other aspects, as compared to the tribal people of the state. The tribal people are of the opinion that granting ST status to the Meitei community will result in the loss of job opportunities for them. Moreover, the tribals feel that if the Meiteis were given ST status, they would be allowed to acquire land in the hills, as a result of which, they will be thrown out of their own land. Some pro-government groups in Manipur claimed that a few tribal groups with vested interests were trying to hasten state Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s war against drugs.

The N Biren Singh-led Manipur government began its anti-drug drive by destroying the poppy fields, from which different drugs like heroin are made. After the anti-drug drive began, another theory emerged that the illegal settlers from Myanmar, who are ethnically related to the Kuki-Zomi people of Manipur, are behind the clearing of forests and government lands to grow opium and cannabis.

FIRST PROTEST AFTER EVICTION DRIVE

On March 10 this year, the first violent protest took place against the eviction of the inhabitants of a Kuki village. This led the Manipur government to withdraw the suspension of operations against two Kuki militant organisations, who were accused of inciting the protesters. This was followed by a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ on Wednesday.

MARCH TURNS VIOLENCE

Thousands of protestors gathered at the venue where the ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised by The All Tribal Students Union, Manipur (ATSUM), to oppose the demand for inclusion of the Meitei community in the ST category. The rally soon turned violent with the protestors vandalising, assaulting people, torching houses and setting ablaze dozens of vehicles.

Security forces were soon deployed to disperse and control the violence and after a while, the situation was brought under control but not before several protestors sustained serious injuries and properties worth lakhs were destroyed.

The violent protests prompted the Manipur government to order the suspension of mobile internet services for five more days in the wake of the outbreak of the fresh violence. Considering the magnitude of the violence, a total of 14 companies of the Indian Army were called in on Thursday.

After the Indian Army took over, the overall situation on Friday improved with no reports of any untoward incident or occurrence of fresh violence. The Central government has deployed more forces to control the situation from escalating further. Senior officers are themselves monitoring the operations.

Flag marches in the worst-affected Churachandpur, Bishnupur and other sensitive districts are still underway.