Burning Manipur!
A Tale of honor right to honor riots
Manipur is everywhere on national and international traditional and social media. All of a sudden, Why is this beautiful territory with great natural appeal in the news? Why is a state with such a great culture and geography looking for help? What made the people of Manipur feel like refugees in their own country?
Let's Dig in!
Manipur, An Integral part of the Seven Sisters of India, was declared a separate state as per the North Eastern Region (Re-organization) Act, 1972 before it was a part of United Assam. It was known for its rich culture and traditions, vibrant dance forms and music, scenic landscapes, and delectable local cuisines.
Manipur’s majority of geography consists of hilly terrain and valleys. And people here are mostly divided into two social classes, i.e., “Nagas” and “Kukis”. These tribes generally live in hilly terrain. And there is another social class called “Meitei”, which lives mostly in parts of the Imphal Valley and practices Hinduism. Out of the total population in Manipur, 60% belong to Meitei, and the remaining 40% belong to Nagas and Kukis communities. As per the National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993, Nagas and Kukis are given ST (Scheduled Tribe) tags, and Meitei are given SC (Scheduled Caste) and OBC (Other Backward Caste) tags. But before this act, even the Meitei community people were also identified as tribes.
So the problem popped up when the Meitei community demanded the inclusion of ST Tag. This demand from them made the other two classes feel insecure. They were concerned that a sizable portion of welfare programs and benefits might be taken away, making them uneasy. The Indian constitution also states that only a tribe may sell its tribal territory to another tribe and can purchase it from anyone. The Kuki and Naga communities previously owned the land, and thus, if the Meitei people are accorded tribe status, they can purchase and sell that land. As meitei are large in number, the thought of their sheer dominance has been uprooted in the minds of Naga and Kukis. In this situation, a verdict from the High Court of Manipur made the scene more disastrous.
“CONSIDER” Inclusion of the meitei community and recommended the same to the central government.
This verdict raged through Kuki’s and Naga’s thoughts as if they were in existential crises. Meanwhile, As a part of Manipur’s forest protection plan government has instructed the tribes kuki and naga, who regardlessly considered as the forest’s kith and kin, to vacate the place, and the government declared the place as a reserve forest. And they believed that the Manipurian government was also supporting the Meitei community.
This decision blew up the fuse in the valley, and on May 3rd, 2023, a big clash was provoked between Tribes and Non-Tribes, and it turned into a human massacre. Meitei asserts that the Kuki and Naga communities are predominately made up of immigrants from Myanmar, giving them an advantage over us native tribes, who only own 20% of the total amount of land. Meitei also hopes that including them in the tribal community gives them a boost for their empowerment in the state and around the country.
Nearly 140+ individuals have perished as a result of these riots, countless public and governmental facilities have been destroyed, and the internet has been banned. It appears as though a terrorist organization is seizing control of the government.
Sneaking in the shadow of anger, rage, and justice, women in Manipur are being groped and raped. A viral video depicts how worst the situation is; such assholes who are in it to fulfill their sexual desires should never be tolerated.
Given how delicate the issue is in the state. The government needs to act fast and legitimately in order to put an end to the massacre and restore peace to the valley.
#SaveManipur