Manipur: A tragic case of modern governance struggling amid competing claims of ethnic homelands

The recent clashes in Manipur have their origin in the fact that the Kuki-Chin group of people are seen as erstwhile citizens of Burma who migrated to the hills of Manipur. (File image)

The narratives of death and destruction that shattered the false calm of Manipur are out there for the world to read and watch in revulsion and disheartenment. A news channel showed how over 7,000 Kuki-Chin refugees had escaped to Mizoram from Churachandpur (a district in Manipur where the seeds of dissension were first sown) and how they are now living in refugee camps eating whatever was served. Other news reports also point to over 7,400 Meiteis having fled from hill districts to the Imphal valley since May 3, and around 5,200 Kukis leaving Imphal and surrounding areas.

There has to be a strong reason for people to leave their hearths and homes and flee to a different state. Indeed, the fear is all pervasive after the Kuki-Chin people based in Manipur’s Imphal valley watched their homes and their earthly possessions go up in flames and likewise the Meiteis living in the hills. Both sides had to flee their homes lest they were physically attacked by mobs of the other ethnicity.

The Burden Of History

The Meiteis, the majority population of Manipur settled in the Imphal valley, adopted the Vaishnavite form of Hinduism in 1704 when their King Charairongba accepted religion and even changed his name into the Hindu name of Pitambar Singh. The recent clashes in Manipur have their origin in the fact that the Kuki-Chin group of people are seen as erstwhile citizens of Burma who lived in the Chin Hills and migrated to the hills of Manipur to escape the ferocity of the Burmese rulers.

The Burmese had ruled Manipur for a brief period from 1819 to 1826. It was the combined forces of the British and the King of Manipur that succeeded in driving back the Burmese but not before the British had ceded the rich and fertile Kabow valley to them with an undertaking that they would hitherto never invade Manipur again.

So while the Meiteis accept that the Nagas are indigenous to the hills of Manipur they have always considered the Kuki-Chins as interlopers. But after the British left India and the King of Manipur signed the Instrument of Accession to India on August 11, 1947, the Kuki-Chins were considered as a tribe of Manipur with all the rights and privileges granted to them by the Indian Constitution.

Grievances On Both Sides

The point of contention for Manipur has been that the Imphal valley which constitutes only one tenth of the geographical area of the state is the only settlement for the Meiteis while the remaining 90 percent of the landmass of Manipur which constitutes the hills and forests are the natural settlements for the tribes. The Meiteis cannot buy land in the hills by virtue of being Hindus and therefore non-tribals whereas the hill tribes are allowed to buy land in the Imphal valley.

That this arrangement is inherently flawed and should have been resolved immediately after Independence is a no-brainer but it has been left to simmer and the recent outbreak of violence between the Kuki-Chin and Meitei people is a natural and expected outcome.

The Kuki-Chin people accuse the Chief Minister of Manipur N Biren Singh, a Meitei, of starting a regime of intrusion into the hills and acquiring forest land for reserved forests and wildlife sanctuaries without consulting the Kuki chieftains or the Hill Area Council, the equivalent of a tribal council which is mandated to conserve the natural resources and also to be the custodian of languages, customary practices and traditions. This is mandated under Article 371(C) of the Constitution.

But whereas other tribal areas in North East India are governed by the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and enjoy direct funding from the Centre apart from state resources, the Hill Areas Council of Manipur are virtually toothless.

A Series Of Unfortunate Events

Manipur CM Biren has also been pushing for legalising marijuana for medical and industrial uses and he has been eyeing the forests in the hills, where tribals are growing poppy, to extend  marijuana cultivation. The Manipur government, in fact, brought down the area under poppy cultivation from 6,742 acres in 2021 to 1,118 acres in 2022.

It is no secret that the drug lords that cut across all ethnicities are unhappy with this governmental intrusion into their wealth-creation venture. The fire was waiting to break out. The last straw was when the Manipur High Court virtually directed the state government to expedite the process of granting Schedule Tribe status to the Meiteis. That was the last straw.

On May 3, Kuki-Chin youth took out a solidarity march to protest the proposed ST status for Meiteis. And that was when the trouble started and since then it has only gained momentum. Ten MLAs belonging to the Kuki-Chin group have written to the central government demanding a separate administration for the hills. Their plea is that it is impossible to live under the same state government in the future.

At the moment Manipur is still under an internet ban and to speak of the state returning to normalcy any time soon is to underplay the grave situation that is playing out in the state.

Patricia Mukhim is Editor, The Shillong Times, and author of the book "Waiting for an Equal World". Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication.