It is an enduring tragedy that deadly violence has cast its shadow again in Manipur, and ethnic tensions have led to the death of at least four people in Ukhrul and Bishnupur districts, including two children. In the absence of pragmatic political leadership, the divisions involving the three major communities in the state, the Meiteis, the Kuki-Zo, and the Nagas, have boiled over frequently. The shocking incident of two Kuki-Zo women being stripped, paraded and sexually assaulted three years ago, which got prominence because a video clip was available, continues to roil public memory in the state and across the country. There was a legitimate expectation that Manipur would see a new era after the lifting of President’s rule that was imposed a year ago and the election of a new BJP Chief Minister, Yumnam Khemchand Singh, and two Deputy Chief Ministers representing the major ethnicities. Some confidence-building measures have been tried in the recent past, such as the creation of buffer zones separating the Meiteis of the Imphal Valley from other communities and the provision of vehicle escorts. That hope has been belied by the killing of two children and two Tangkhul Naga men, including a retired soldier, in an ambush. A beautiful state such as Manipur, which joined India in 1949, was made a Union Territory in 1956 and a full state in 1972 and has witnessed the loss of over 250 lives and displacement of more than 60,000 people. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit last year, though belated, accompanied by an announcement of economic projects worth Rs 7,300 crore failed to bring calm.
It would be short-sighted to imagine a peace for Manipur primarily using the armed forces to quell violence, given the complex socio-cultural and geographical factors at play. While economic development and the provision of infrastructure can relieve much internal pressure, there are concerns that hard-wiring the border with Myanmar to severely limit the erstwhile Free Movement Regime, in the wake of the coup in that country five years ago, may have diminished opportunities and exacerbated frustrations. A history of migration is believed to have laid the foundation for antagonistic ethnic relations, and poor appreciation of the northeast in the national imagination will only add to the feeling of alienation. The Prime Minister took a long time to respond to the Manipur imbroglio that began in 2023 and is challenged by another wave of hostilities now. The Union government’s priority should be to relieve the pressure by arresting all accused, enabling a speedy CBI-led trial in the Kuki-Zo women’s case, prosecuting the Bishnupur bombers, and establishing easier cross-border economic ties. Urgent peace negotiations with all sections are needed. As things stand, even a Kuki-Zo Deputy Chief Minister, Nemcha Kipgen, has found it difficult to travel to Imphal. Normalisation of the state needs a broad, visible outreach.
