Two years ago, a tribal solidarity march to protest against a Manipur High Court ruling that directed the state government to consider the inclusion of Meiteis in the ST category, turned violent. The clashes that broke out in Torbung area of Churachandpur district on May 3, 2023, along with retaliatory attacks in the Valley districts opened up a faultline that had been building up for quite some time. Within a week, gun violence, arson, and riots engulfed almost all parts of the state, leading to a near-total separation of the Meiteis and the Kukis — that continues till date — and a militarisation of society reminiscent of insurgency at its peak. Mobile and broadband internet snapped for the first few months after May 3. It meant that Manipur writhed in the dark.
In the two-year-long ethnic conflict, there have been periods of intense, tit-for-tat violence but also prolonged periods of uneasy calm. What has been consistent is the inability of the government, at the Centre and state alike, to bring an enduring end to the violence and address the trust deficit between the warring communities. Former Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s approach to the conflict further ruptured the state. Widely seen as a partisan leader, he was eventually, under pressure from his own colleagues, shown the door, but not before significant damage had already been inflicted. At least 250 people have died and thousands continue to languish in relief camps. Despite almost three months of President’s Rule, Manipur remains sharply divided between Hill and Valley.
Dialogue remains the only viable path forward. A conflict with faultlines as wide as this one cannot be resolved by the use of force. The Centre must put in more effort to foster meaningful engagement between the Meiteis and Kukis, to lay a foundation for a reconciliation that lasts. It has to convince the people of Manipur that it cares about their security and well-being. Even two years on, however, the Prime Minister hasn’t visited the state. In Parliament less than a month ago, after 14 hours of debate and voting on the contentious Waqf Bill, Manipur was allocated a mere 41 minutes, in the dead of the night when most of the country wasn’t awake to listen in. The Centre’s decision to impose President’s Rule and remove Biren Singh as chief minister a few weeks ago was a crucial first step towards paving the way for peace. The Governor’s efforts to curtail the circulation of illegal weapons were also welcome. But the government must do more. Confidence-building measures and demilitarisation have to be prioritised. It cannot, under any circumstances, allow the cycle of violence to begin again.
