Manipur News | Decoding Manipur Violence: Why Conflict Is Ethnic & Not Religious |Manipur Video News

Manipur News | Decoding Manipur Violence: Why Conflict Is Ethnic & Not Religious |Manipur Video News

Manipur is a state in north-east India with a population of around three million. It has been embroiled in an ethnic conflict since early May, fought between the majority Meitei community and the minority Kuki tribe.

India’s north-eastern states have a history of ethnic rivalries dating back to before the country became independent in 1947. In Manipur, violence has erupted between the Meitei and the Kuki communities several times before.

Tensions had been simmering between the two communities recently, driven in part by the Meitei-controlled state government. The government was accused of pursuing policies that discriminated against Kukis, including forced evictions that threatened the security of their land, and through an attempt to cast them as illegal immigrants.

The violence was sparked by a court ruling in March that granted the majority Meitei “scheduled tribal status”, entitling them to the same economic benefits and quotas in government jobs and education as the minority Kuki.

It also allowed Meiteis to buy land in the hills, where the Kukis predominately live, further fuelling fears that their lands, jobs and opportunities would be taken away. This prompted protests, mostly by Kuki student groups, which were met with violence and by early May, it had escalated into all-out violence.

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