Scheduled Tribe status for Meiteis issue is just the spark

Imphal: Ethnic violence, which has engulfed Manipur over the last few days, was brewing for some time as a long history of mutual suspicion between ethnic groups in the Imphal valley and its surrounding hills turned into a simmering conflict after the BJP-led Manipur government started a drive to evict tribal villagers from reserved forests.

The spark for the raging violence was lit by demonstrations by tribal groups against a move to grant the majority Meiteis the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, which the residents of the hills had been enjoying for decades since Independence.

The government in Manipur, regardless of which party comes to power, has always been dominated by plainsmen Meiteis, who account for about 53 per cent of the state’s population and live mostly in irregular oval-shaped Imphal Valley.

Consequently, the government’s actions have often been viewed through the prism of suspicion by tribals – mostly Nagas and Kukis – who make up 40 per cent of Manipur’s population and live for the most part in the hills surrounding the valley.

Interestingly, the fertile Imphal valley makes up for about a tenth of the total land mass of the state while the surrounding hills, ideal for militant hide-outs and home to a long-running insurgency, account for 90 per cent of the state’s lands.

The eviction drive, which began in February, was seen as yet another anti-tribal move, leading to alarm and widespread discontent not only among the Kuki community which was affected by it but also other tribals who have many villages within reserved forest areas.

Ahead of Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s visit to Churachandpur district last week, a mob vandalised and set on fire the venue in New Lamka town where he was scheduled to address a function.

The mob also managed to partially torch a newly set up open gym which Singh, an ethnic Meitei, was slated to inaugurate on Friday afternoon.

The attack took place barely 11 hours prior to a ‘total shutdown’ called by the Indigenous Tribe Leaders Forum in the entire Churachandpur district.

The Forum claimed that despite the repeated submission of memorandums to the government protesting the ongoing eviction drive to clear reserved forests of farmers and other tribal settlers, “the government has shown no sign of willingness or sincerity in addressing the plight of people”.

General secretary of the Kuki Students Organisation, Churachandpur, D J Haokip, said: “Several areas in the hill district have been declared as reserved forests, protected forests and hundreds of Kuki tribals have been dislodged from their traditional settlement area.”

“The anguish of the Kuki people is not about the evictions but the failure to provide rehabilitation to more than hundreds of those affected,” Haokip added.

The Kukis are represented by 10 legislators, including five BJP MLAs, in the 60-member Manipur Assembly. The Kuki People’s Alliance (KPA), which is an ally of the ruling BJP government, has two MLAs.

“We have six MLAs from Churachandpur district and the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) has asked them to come out and state their stance on the eviction drive. If they fail to respond, our future course of action will include socially boycotting them,” Haokip said.

Earlier in March, a violent clash occurred at Thomas Ground in Kangpokpi district where protesters tried to hold a mass rally against “encroachment of tribal lands in the name of reserved forests, protected forests and wildlife sanctuary”.