Manipur, the strategically located state in the Northeast that has been considered the gateway to Southeast Asia with India’s renewed engagement with ASEAN through its Act East Policy, has been in the midst of chaos and confusion since May 3rd, 2023.  

The old wounds of hill vs valley ruptured, and the unthinkable happened with looting, burning and destroying  thousands of houses,  more than three hundred worship places, the loss of more than one hundred precious lives, and the displacement of more than forty thousand people. It resulted in such a way that Manipur will never be the same again!

It all started with a single bench order of the high court of Manipur recommending Scheduled Tribes status to the majority community in the state, the Meiteis. The tribals, both the Kukis and the Nagas, felt it would encroach on their land, jobs and resources. The aftermath of the silent procession of the tribals led to this ethnic violence.   

It is well known that Manipur is a land scarce state; ninety percent of the land belongs to the tribals, both Nagas and Kukis;  on the other hand, the Meiteis, both Hindus and Muslims, and Scheduled Castes belong to the valley area, which accounts for only ten percent of the total geographical area. Indeed, it is very sad, a state that was described so fondly as the “jewel of India” by Jawaharlal Nehru is now lay shattered, rocked by violent ethnic conflict between Meiteis and Kukis.

Earlier in the 1990s, Manipur witnessed ethnic violence between the two major tribal groups, the Nagas and the Kukis, in which several thousands lost their lives and many villagers were uprooted. However, they never burned the churches during the earlier crisis. Instead, the Church focused on building bridges between the two communities, leading to  significant reconciliation and the restoration of peace.  But in the present crisis, one wonders why the churches, both Kukis and Meiteis, were targeted and burned. It is absolutely strange that an unruly mob has burned several institutions that provided education, health and spirituality to the state. 

Recently, the Union government constituted a three member enquiry commission to look into the ethnic violence in the state of Manipur and submit its report within six months. It is a good effort. The Commission needs to probe into the violence and riots unleashed by the two organisations, which are directly supported by some of the leaders, and also how the sophisticated weapons from the police training centre have been freely taken by the mob. 

It is sad to hear the stories of people whose houses were burned, which they built with their hard earned money. Now, they don’t know where to go. The children and the senior citizens are emotionally and psychologically affected, and it is difficult for them to  recover from their mental trauma after seeing their houses literally looted and burned in front of their eyes.

It is going to be fifty days, yet the violence of burning houses and churches is going on unabated. It is really a  tragedy that Dr R K Rajan Singh, a very gentle and soft speaking Union Minister’s home too was not spared. A total law and order failure by the government is evident on all sides. The Union government should impose President Rule without further delay. Now, who is responsible for this sordid crisis? Giving sweeping statements and accusing a community and branding them as tenants, immigrants who have lived in the  state for more than two centuries, will never settle this crisis; rather, it will deepen the wound and the scars further.

What is the way out of this imbroglio? Much has been said and written in the  media about the current situation in Manipur and the possible way forward. Since the state is still bleeding and burning, it is basically the failure of the state leadership, and many both from the state and outside the state feel the present Chief Minister must take moral responsibility and step down, or the Union government should replace him by giving him some other assignment in New Delhi. Since the party in power both in the state and in the centre is the same, there should not be much problem with this, but a quick decision needs to be made in this regard. Second, the desire of the tribals to seek more autonomy in the form of an autonomous district as in the Bodoland Territorial Council may be considered, as they are desiring autonomy within the constitution and not separation from the Indian Union. Third, the Home Minister’s recent visit resulted in taking measures to bring back stability in the state.. It would be good if the President and the Prime Minister could visit the state and assure both communities to come forward for reconciliation. It will soothe the wounds of  the affected communities. The burned houses and worship places should be rebuilt, and for this, the government must come forward with an economic package. Fourth, no reliable conversation is possible unless the stakeholders are involved in a meaningful dialogue, and for this, there is a need to extend invitations to academics, NGOs, and faith based organisations. The unprovoked violence, looting and burning of houses and worship places, and killing of innocent people must be stopped by effectively using the central forces.

It appears the present Chief Minister is riding on a tiger and doesn’t know how to get down.  Will our Prime Minister and Home Minister help at this critical juncture in this strategically located state in addressing the issues raised above?  An answer to the ongoing crisis in Manipur must be found sooner rather than later, before it gets out of hand. 

It is agonising to see people as refugees and displaced in their own state for no fault of their own. 

Manipur is witnessing a great leap backward. It will take another two or three decades to catch up with the losses it incurred in the recent violence. 

In his recent article, a retired civil servant from Manipur most passionately  said, “Giving back love for hatred is the greatest revenge,” and he was hoping and praying for his state, Sana Leibak – Golden State – to soon regain its shine!  Will it? Wish to hear and see!

Views expressed by the author are personal and need not reflect or represent the views of the Centre for Public Policy Research.

Dr. Joshua Thomas

Erudite Distinguished Fellow (International Relations) | + posts

Joshua Thomas is a distinguished fellow with the Centre for Public Policy Research, Kochi, Kerala, and Adjunct Professor in Political Science, USTM, Meghalaya. Earlier, he worked as the Deputy Director at the ICSSR North Eastern Regional Centre, Shillong.

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