I wish to quote Nelson Mandela, “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
Current clashes: It all started on 03 May 2023 when the Kuki tribals were protesting against a Manipur High Court order that directed the State to consider the Meiteis’ demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The tribal solidarity march organised by tribal civil society bodies in Churachandpur (Kuki-dominated area) turned violent. Churachandpur was the epicenter of violence where several department offices were burnt down by the Kukis’. The Kukis’ found an excuse to show their anger against a recent eviction drive by the state government to clear reserved forest lands under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) which had led to the displacement of Kuki villages without any rehabilitation. In May & Jun 2023, the Kuki and Meitei engaged in arson & violence, in areas between the Kuki-dominated hills and the Meitei-dominated valley.
Social aspects: The Meitei (non-tribal, Vaishnavite Hindus), who form about 53 percent of the population of Manipur, can currently reside in just 10 percent of the total land area in Manipur. The rest of Manipur - consisting of hill districts - belongs to the tribals, mainly Kuki and Nagas. Therefore, the tribals can buy land in the valley but the Meiteis are prohibited to buy land in the hills. The ST status would Meitei to reside anywhere in Manipur just like Kuki and Nagas. However, the Supreme Court took a strong exception to the Manipur HC judgment (including Meitei in the list of ST) but did not put a stay on it because a writ has been filed by the “All Manipur Tribal Union” against the HC verdict.
The Kuki are a multi-tribal ethnic group that lives in India's north-eastern regions of Manipur, Mizoram, and Assam, as well as parts of Bangladesh and Myanmar (see map). Traditionally they were not Christian but animist and worship different deities and spirits. But for the last 90 years, the majority of them have embraced Christianity as their religion. They have their own customary laws and village council. Additionally, according to land ownership systems among Kukis, only the chief’s elder son could inherit the chiefship of a village. The other sons often ventured out to set up their own villages. This expansionist attitude has often put them at odds with the Nagas.
The total Kuki population in Manipur as per the 2011 census was 4.6 lakh. However, the influx from Bangladesh and Myanmar has brought Chin people (Kuki are called Chin in Myanmar & Bangladesh) to mostly Mizoram and Manipur. Hence, recent estimates place the Kuki population at 30% of the total Manipur population, which converts to around 9 lakhs. The total population of Manipur is 28.5 lakhs. The rest of the population of Manipur is made up mainly of two other ethnic groups namely the Meitei who live in the valley region of Manipur, and the Nagas tribes, historically at loggerheads with the Kuki, also living in the hilly areas of the State.
While the Nagas have also opposed the demand for ST status by the Meitei, they remain neutral on the matter of separate administration. Nagas, nevertheless, have maintained neutrality this time as they claim to be more focused on the status of the ongoing peace talks of NSCN-IM with the Centre. “For the Nagas, there is only one demand, that of the Final Solution in Nagaland. Peace talks are at present going on between the NSCN-IM and the Indian government. Naga people are waiting for that solution.
History: There’s no denying that the Nagas and the Meiteis were here in Manipur from the beginning. If we look at historical records and older chronicles, Kukis were hardly mentioned. In fact, it was with the influx of the British that Kukis started settling in these regions. The British always had the idea of balancing one tribe against the other. So, Kuki villages were allowed to be set up adjacent to Naga villages or Naga-dominated areas like Thangkhul. That’s how the hills became a mixed population area and despite inter-tribe rivalries, Kukis became an established part of the Manipuri population. For years, the Meitei-dominated governments of the Manipur have remained alienated spaces for Kukis who find themselves labelled as “outsiders”, “illegal immigrants” and “poppy cultivators”.
Reasons for Kuki insurgency in the past: The Kuki have been demanding self-determination for groups belonging to their ethnic fabric, meaning the dream to form a Kukiland which includes Kuki-inhabited regions of Myanmar, Manipur, Assam, and Mizoram. The second reason for the insurgency is the inter-community conflict (as some Kuki-inhabited areas coincided with Naga-inhabited areas) between the Kukis and the Nagas in Manipur. The inter-community conflict grew in real terms in the 1980s and continued after the Kuki-Naga conflicts of the 1990s. The main reason for the inter-community conflict was that both communities wanted to dominate cultural and trade activities in those areas. Because of this, the Kuki and Naga tribes have often engaged in violent standoffs, with villages being torched, killing innocent civilians, etc. This is when the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and its armed wing Kuki National Army (KNA) were formed. Other Kuki outfits like Kuki Commando Force, Kuki Independent Army, and others were also formed.
While the Suspension of Operation was signed in 2005, insurgent activities like explosions, extortion in the form of tax collection, arms and drug trade, and economic blockades still continue, often under the radar. As per the agreement between the Kuki insurgent groups and the Government, a total of 2,266 cadres of Kuki organisations were put in over 14 designated camps set up by the government, away from the civilian inhabited areas, and their movement was restricted to the camps. Their arms were locked away in an area inside the camp. The Suspension of Operation was made in order to start a political dialogue about giving some form of self-determination to the Kukis, but that has not materialised till now.
At present, the demand has come to the formulation of an independent district—Kukiland Territorial Council within the purview of the Indian constitution, modelling the Bodoland Territorial Council, which was formed under the sixth schedule of the constitution after insurgent groups in Assam signed an agreement with their state government.
Solution: Militants on both sides must lay down their arms. The leaders of both groups must appeal to their communities to stop the violence. Churachandpur was the epicenter of violence where several department offices were burnt down by the Kukis’. Hence combing operations by Army armed with AFPSA must begin from Churachandpur and continue till all militant outfits surrender or are neutralised. The army and Central Security Forces must provide a full safety net to all the citizens of Manipur. till the situation is fully under the control of the civilian govt. The involvement of narco-terrorists and immigration of armed PDF cadres from Myanmar must be handled by the Central investigative agencies.
A peace committee must be formed. The committee will facilitate dialogue and acceptance of reasonable demands of both Meiteis’ and Kukis’. Subsequently, leaders of all stakeholders must sit across the table for implementing solutions within the purview of the Indian Constitution.
Conclusion: Power struggles and refugee influx have created rifts and mistrust. Lasting peace will bring development and prosperity. Let us pray for the people of Manipur that the violence should end soon.