Manipur Continues to Boil

Subhashis Mittra

Manipur has been in the headlines through 2024, but for the wrong reasons. The northeastern state has been embroiled in ethnic clashes since May 2023. Around 250 people have been killed and more than 60,000 displaced after mobs plundered villages and burnt down houses. Union home minister Amit Shah has described the ongoing violence in Manipur as an ethnic clash, not linked to terrorism or religious conflict. “Violence in Manipur has persisted for over a year and a half. Many lives have been lost. However, the intensity of the violence has now decreased,” he said recently.

The ongoing ethnic violence is between the majority Meiteis and the minority Kuki-Zo ethnic group. The Meiteis, who are predominantly Hindus, live in the capital Imphal and the nearby districts, while the Kuki-Zos live in the hilly tracts. The Meiteis demand that they be listed as a Scheduled Tribe, which would bring them more benefits, such as quotas in jobs and educational institutions. But that wo