National Desk, 22 May: The Indian Army and paramilitary personnel have hurried to Manipur in an effort to restore peace and stop the rising violence as new clashes broke out on May 22 following a brief period of shaky quiet. The Meitei and Kuki communities were involved in the skirmishes which took place in the New Checkon area of the state capital Imphal. A disagreement about available space in a nearby market is thought to have caused them. Authorities quickly enacted a curfew after hearing allegations of fires in the area.
Curfew relaxation time has been shortened from 5 am to 4 pm to the new time 5 am to 2 pm in Imphal West district. The curfew was shortened at 2 pm in Imphal West on May 22. The new shortened time for Imphal East is 5 am to 1 pm. In capital city Imphal it has been shortened at 1 pm.
For more than a month, Manipur has struggled with a string of interethnic conflicts related to numerous divisive topics, undermining communal harmony in the area. Violence broke out earlier this month when tribal members organised a solidarity march on May 3 to oppose the Meiteis’ request for Scheduled Tribe (ST) designation. Over 70 people lost their lives in the conflicts which lasted for more than a week and caused the damage of thousands of dollars’ worth of property. As a result, people were forced to flee their homes and find shelter in camps set up by the government.
The eviction of Kuki people from reserve forest area caused a number of smaller agitations which in turn fuelled the underlying tension that preceded the conflicts. Since non-tribals are not allowed to own land in designated hill areas, the Meiteis who make up 64% of the state’s population are only given 10% of the state’s total land area. Inclusion of the Meiteis in the ST category would give them the ability to purchase land in the hills which has greatly alarmed the tribal people.
The Kukis claim that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in Manipur, led by Chief Minister N Biren Singh has deliberately targeted them in an effort to drive them out of the woods and their ancestral homes in the hills. They contend that the government’s campaign against drug trafficking was only an excuse for evicting them.