November 21, 2024

Ehtnic Strife In Manipur

By Our Editorial Team
First publised on 2023-05-05 06:47:44

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Manipur is on boil. The ethnic equations in the state - as well as in the rest of the North-East - are always delicate and any new demand from any quarter has always led to strife. This time it was the fear in the minds of tribals in the state that the government was going to grant Scheduled Tribe status to non-tribal Meiteis who reside mainly in the Imphal valley. The All Tribal Students' Union called a tribal solidarity march in protest against the Meiteis' demand for ST status which was taken up by the Manipur HC which asked the state government to send a recommendation in this regard to the Centre. The other tribes are up in arms as they feel that if the non-tribal Meiteis are granted ST status, it will shrink the reservation pie for them and they will be have to share the benefits with the Meiteis who do not deserve the same.

Although the Meiteis are in majority in Manipur, it is the hill tribes who get the government benefits due to their ST status. Hence the tribes, especially the Kukis,are always at loggerheads with the Meiteis The situation has worsened due to the continuous influx of refugees from neighbouring Myanmar due to the drive against ethnic insurgents in that country after the military coup in 2021. Thousands of Burmese refugees have entered Manipur. India needs to have a strict refugee management system to ensure that the already delicate ethnic equation in North Eastern states does not get complicated due to the influx of such refugees. It also needs to impress upon the Myanmar junta that the unchecked refugee influx due to the civil war there is causing problems for India.

The government needs to tell the tribes in Manipur that no non-tribals will be accorded ST status. Granting ST status to non-tribal Meiteis (although they have claimed that they were recognized as a tribe when the state was merged with India in 1949) will be wrong. It also needs to address the other problems in North-Eastern states, including removing the draconian AFSPA from remaining areas. Finally, it needs to ensure rapid economic development so that tensions between ethnic communities are reduced.