The Meitei Community and Hill People Conflict in Manipur

Context:

Violent clashes broke out at various places in Manipur during the course of a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ by the All Tribal Students’ Union of Manipur (ATSUM). The Army and Assam Rifles carried out flag marches in the areas hit by the violence.

Why the march?

• It was called to oppose the longstanding demand that the Meitei community be included in the list of the state’s Scheduled Tribes (ST), which received a boost from an order of the Manipur High Court last month.

What order has the Manipur High Court passed?

• The court observed that “the petitioners and other Unions are fighting long years for inclusion of Meetei/Meitei community in the tribe list of Manipur”, and directed the government to submit its recommendation after considering the case of the petitioners, “preferably within a period of four weeks” of receipt of the order.
• It has brought the historical tensions between the valley-dwelling Meitei community and the state’s hill tribes to a boil.

Which are the major communities residing in Manipur?

• The Meiteis are the largest community in Manipur. 
• There are 34 recognized tribes, which are broadly classified as ‘Any Kuki Tribes’ and ‘Any Naga Tribes’.
• The central valley in the state accounts for about 10% of the landmass of Manipur, and is home primarily to the Meitei and Meitei Pangals who constitute roughly 64.6% of the state’s population. 
• The remaining 90% of the state’s geographical area comprises hills surrounding the valley, which are home to the recognized tribes, making up about 35.4% of the state’s population.

Why does the Meitei community want ST status?

• The demand has been for at least since 2012, led by the Scheduled Tribes Demand Committee of Manipur (STDCM).
• In the plea before the High Court, the petitioners argued that the Meitei community was recognised as a tribe before the merger of the princely state of Manipur with the Union of India in 1949, and that it lost its identity as a tribe after the merger. 
• It was argued in court that the demand for ST status arose from the need to “preserve” the community, and “and save the ancestral land, tradition, culture and language” of the Meiteis.
• “The community has been victimized without any constitutional safeguards to date. Their population which was 59% of the total population of Manipur in 1951 has now been reduced to 44% as per 2011 Census data”.

Why are tribal groups opposing this order?

• One of the reasons cited for the opposition is the dominance of the Meiteis, both in population and in political representation.
• “Fear of the loss of job opportunities and other affirmative actions granted to STs by the Constitution of India to a much advanced community like the Meitei”.
• The Manipuri language of the Meiteis is included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, and that sections of the Meitei community — which is predominantly Hindu — are already classified under Scheduled Castes (SC) or Other Backward Classes (OBC), and have access to the opportunities associated with that status.

Is this demand the only reason for the conflict rocking the state currently?

• The unrest has been brewing among the hill tribes of the state for a number of reasons.
• A major reason for the discontent has been the state government’s notices since August 2022 claiming that 38 villages in the Churachandpur-Khoupum Protected Forest area (in Churachandpur and Noney districts) are “illegal settlements” and its residents are “encroachers”.
• Following this, the government set out on an eviction drive which resulted in clashes.
• Kuki groups have claimed that the survey and eviction is a violation of Article 371C, which confers some administrative autonomy to the tribal-dominated hill areas of Manipur. 

Conclusion:

Every ethnic group has its own valid concerns, but it should be ensured by all levels of Governments that violence should be resolved as soon as possible and peace will be restored. 

News Source: The Indian Express