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The Hindu
14 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Ban on movement of Kukis in Naga areas suspended
A Manipur group has suspended its ban on the movement of the Kuki people within the territories of four Naga communities. The Committee on Protection of Indigenous People's Ancestral Land (COPIPAL) said that the ban, which was to have taken effect on June 2, was withdrawn 'for some time' in the 'interest of maintaining peace' in the State. The COPIPAL, formed during a people's consultative meeting convened by the Joint Tribes Council on April 14 in the Kangpokpi district's Konsaram village, had announced a 'complete restriction on the movement of Kukis' within the territories of the Inpui, Liangmai, Rongmei, and Zeme Naga communities. Konsaram is one of the oldest Naga villages in Manipur. According to the committee, the Kukis attacked the Liangmai Naga inhabitants of the village in an 'unprovoked and orchestrated act of aggression' on April 5, severely 'undermining the peace and dignity' of the indigenous Naga people. The COPIPAL described the attack as a threat to the safety, rights, and cultural identity of the Naga communities. Reacting to the COPIPAL decision on May 28, the Regional Naga Council of Manipur directed the Naga leaders and frontal organisations concerned to uphold the declaration of ban within their respective jurisdictions. However, the apex United Naga Council and the Joint Tribes Council later sought relaxation of the ban to facilitate people in the conflict-scarred State. The Nagas have been largely neutral in the conflict between the tribal Kuki-Zo and the non-tribal Meitei communities that broke out on May 3, 2025, claiming more than 250 human lives and displacing some 60,000 others. Manipur has been under the President's Rule since February 13, days after N. Biren Singh resigned as the Chief Minister.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Slow and unsteady: on Manipur and an elusive peace
It has been a little over three months since President's Rule was declared in Manipur, after a disastrous spell when the State government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party's N. Biren Singh, failed to de-escalate tensions in the ongoing ethnic conflict. By all accounts, there has been a significant reduction in gun violence and arson, which had flared up sporadically since the ethnic conflagration began in May 2023. Some of the weapons that were looted from police constabularies have been returned and the militants do not seem to be roaming around with sophisticated weapons impudently as they did earlier. But that has not meant that peace has returned. The free movement of people and goods across highways and between the hills and the valley continues to be impeded. There have been no signs of any thaw in the hostility between the two communities that were at the centre of the conflict and this has meant that those displaced, and who lost their homes in the valley and the hills, are yet to return. That the peace has been fragile was seen in the way the Imphal valley convulsed in protests following a recent incident during the run-up to the Shirui Lily festival, in Ukhrul district in late May. When a State transport bus with journalists drove close to Kuki-Zo inhabited areas, some security personnel placed stickers on the bus to hide the name of the State – an act that riled civil society groups in the valley. Ostensibly, this was done to allow for their safe passage through the Kuki-Zo areas but it only antagonised groups in the valley who saw this as an act of kowtowing to demands for a 'separate administration', one of the key demands of the Kuki-Zo community representatives. Apparently, some of the latter's partisans had opposed transport services through their areas but stepped back after a stern stance by the organisers of the festival. It is understandable that the Union government has to walk a tightrope in Manipur, and that explains the relatively slow pace of a return to 'true normalcy'. But the government must take strong steps in disarming insurgent and chauvinist groups who continue to hold sway in the valley and the hills. It should also send out a message that these sections will not represent the respective communities in the peace and political initiatives that are needed to resolve the conflict. The distrust of state institutions has led to ethnic partisans setting the discourse. In order to reverse this situation, a stronger commitment to implementing the rule of law, while focusing on rehabilitating the victims of the conflict, is the need of the hour. Meanwhile, there have been calls for the restoration of the State Assembly, with some MLAs claiming majority support for a fresh iteration of an NDA government. This step should only be considered if there is some consensus on steps to be taken towards normalcy among the elected representatives of the respective communities and civil society actors.
Hans India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
44 NDA MLAs ready to form new government in Manipur
Imphal: A day after former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh held a meeting with Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, 10 NDA MLAs on Wednesday met the Governor, claiming that they have the support of 44 legislators in the 60-member Assembly to form a popular government in the state. The ten MLAs - 8 from the BJP and two from the National People's Party (NPP) – have submitted a petition to the Governor with the signatures of 22 legislators seeking the formation of a new government. After the meeting at the Raj Bhavan, BJP legislator Thokchom Radheshyam Singh claimed that 44 MLAs are ready to support the new government in Manipur. 'However, the central leadership of the BJP would take the decision about the formation of the new government,' he told the media. People are facing a great deal of hardship, he said. 'In the previous term of the first BJP government, we lost two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and in the current term, another more than two years have been lost due to the ethnic conflict.' The 60-member Manipur Assembly, which, after the promulgation of President's Rule on February 13, has been put under suspended animation, has a tenure till 2027. Biren Singh met the Governor on Tuesday and discussed the restoration of peace and normalcy and other vital issues of the state. A senior official had said that Biren Singh, who resigned from the Chief Minister's post on February 9, four days before the promulgation of the President's Rule in the trouble-torn state, requested Bhalla to take immediate steps to resolve the vital issues, including that of illegal immigrants. BJP's Rajya Sabha member from Manipur, Maharaja Sanajaoba Leishemba, earlier this month expressed hope that a popular government would be formed in the state within the next two months. He urged all political leaders to unite in dealing with the challenges the state has been facing. 'The President's rule alone cannot resolve the prevailing issues. A popular government can function closely in tandem with the people and find a solution to the present ethnic crisis,' he had told the media. BJP's North East In-charge Sambit Patra also earlier this month visited the state's Kangpokpi and Churachandpur districts and met Kuki BJP MLAs Vungzagin Valte and Nemcha Kipgen and several Kuki-Zo and civil society organisations, including the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU). Kipgen was the lone woman Minister in the Biren Singh-led government in Manipur. Patra also held closed-door meetings with Biren Singh, Assembly Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh and various other leaders and MLAs in Imphal. However, neither Patra nor the BJP disclosed the matter of discussions of the series of meetings during his three-day stay in Manipur. His visit came nearly a week after 21 MLAs wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, urging them to reinstate a 'popular government' in the state.
Hans India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
10 NDA MLAs meet Manipur Governor, claim 44 MLAs support popular government
Imphal: A day after former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh held a meeting with Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, 10 NDA MLAs on Wednesday met the Governor, claiming that they have the support of 44 legislators in the 60-member Assembly to form a popular government in the state. The ten MLAs - 8 from the BJP and two from the National People's Party (NPP) – have submitted a petition to the Governor with the signatures of 22 legislators seeking the formation of a new government. After the meeting at the Raj Bhavan, BJP legislator Thokchom Radheshyam Singh claimed that 44 MLAs are ready to support the new government in Manipur. "However, the central leadership of the BJP would take the decision about the formation of the new government," he told the media. People are facing a great deal of hardship, he said. "In the previous term of the first BJP government, we lost two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and in the current term, another more than two years have been lost due to the ethnic conflict." The 60-member Manipur Assembly, which, after the promulgation of President's Rule on February 13, has been put under suspended animation, has a tenure till 2027. Biren Singh met the Governor on Tuesday and discussed the restoration of peace and normalcy and other vital issues of the state. A senior official had said that Biren Singh, who resigned from the Chief Minister's post on February 9, four days before the promulgation of the President's Rule in the trouble-torn state, requested Bhalla to take immediate steps to resolve the vital issues, including that of illegal immigrants. BJP's Rajya Sabha member from Manipur, Maharaja Sanajaoba Leishemba, earlier this month expressed hope that a popular government would be formed in the state within the next two months. He urged all political leaders to unite in dealing with the challenges the state has been facing. "The President's rule alone cannot resolve the prevailing issues. A popular government can function closely in tandem with the people and find a solution to the present ethnic crisis," he had told the media. BJP's North East In-charge Sambit Patra also earlier this month visited the state's Kangpokpi and Churachandpur districts and met Kuki BJP MLAs Vungzagin Valte and Nemcha Kipgen and several Kuki-Zo and civil society organisations, including the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU). Kipgen was the lone woman Minister in the Biren Singh-led government in Manipur. Patra also held closed-door meetings with Biren Singh, Assembly Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh and various other leaders and MLAs in Imphal. However, neither Patra nor the BJP disclosed the matter of discussions of the series of meetings during his three-day stay in Manipur. His visit came nearly a week after 21 MLAs wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, urging them to reinstate a "popular government" in the state. According to an MLA, most of the 21 legislators belong to the BJP, and the remaining were from the National People's Party (NPP), the Naga People's Front (NPF), and Independents. In the letter, the MLAs told the Prime Minister and the Union Home that the people of Manipur welcome the President's Rule with lots of hope and expectations, but no visible actions to bring peace and normalcy in the state have been seen so far. In a bid to resolve the two-year-long ethnic hostilities, the first tripartite meeting between the officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the representatives of Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities was held in New Delhi on April 5. The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), the Meitei community apex body, held a meeting with the officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in New Delhi on Tuesday and reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to restoring peace in the state.
The Print
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Manipur needs a political solution, not just President's Rule. Or peace will be a delusion
It was against this fragmented backdrop that open conflict started between the majority Meiteis and the state's second-largest ethnic group, the Kukis, two years ago. While Meitei-led insurgents fought for secession from the Union, others wanted autonomous status and a separate identity within the state. Manipur had never presented a united front against the central government because their objectives varied, from total independence to autonomous existence. Two years since ethnic conflict broke out inManipur, the state is still in turmoil. The second biggest state in the North East, with its rich cultural history, the birthplace of the classical dance form 'Rasaleela' and modern polo, Manipur is no stranger to violence and insurgency. With over 35 communities, the state has a long history of ethnic clashes. Even while fighting against the central government, the insurgency movements of the state had different missions. Now, since President's rule has been imposed in the state after the resignation of Chief Minister Biren Singh, it is time for the central government to find political solutions. Also Read: President's Rule in Manipur nettles both Meiteis & Kukis, civil society organisations harden stand From grievance to violence & mismanagement The Meiteis, classified in the 1931 Census as 'Hindu tribals', make up 52 per cent of Manipur's population today but are restricted to just 10 per cent of the state's geographical area, the Imphal valley. They have practically no access to the surrounding 90 per cent of hilly areas, since under Article 371(c) of the Constitution, only local tribals can possess land there. Nothing prevents the Kukis, Nagas, and other tribal communities, whoenjoy this special status, from settling down in the valley, which is already overcrowded with the bulk of the Meitei population as well as illegal immigrants from Myanmar. While other communities have options, the Meiteis have none. They are confined to the choked Imphal valley. Their grouse is that though they were originally tribals practising an old religion called Sanamahi, their adoption of Vaishnavite Hinduism about 300 years ago has gone against them, as they lost Scheduled Tribe status because of the 'Hindu' tag. The 'double-engine' sarkar seemed like the right opportunity to set things right, and Biren Singh was in a tearing hurry to ensure a 'fair deal'. However, the high court's March 2023 order, asking the state to consider including Meiteis in the list of STs, coupled with the eviction drive launched in the reserved forests of Manipur's hills, deepened the hatred and mistrust between the two communities. The eviction of an entire village called K Songjang in Churachandpur district on 20 February 2023 had preceded the high court order. That the eviction was part of a drive to stop poppy cultivation and illegal settlements in the forests—which had substantially increased after an influx of people from Myanmar's Chin region post the 2021 military coup—didn't matter to the Kukis, who justifiably suspected the BJP-led state government's motives. It was a tinderbox. The Free Movement Regime along the 400-km Myanmar border was being thoroughly misused by Myanmar Kukis. There was unnatural population growth in Manipur, upsetting the demographic balance. The eviction of Songjang, with all structures including a church demolished without due notice, followed by the high court order, drew the battle lines. What followed was mindless violence by both warring communities. More than 60,000 people have been displaced and at least 260 killed, with hundreds of churches and temples reportedly damaged as well. The Kukis bore the brunt of the losses. The state government headed by N Biren Singh failed miserably in ensuring law and order. In fact, it seemed to be extending tacit support to the Meiteis in the initial stages, instead of containing and controlling the situation. The Kukis are demanding a court-monitored SIT probe into leaked audio tapes purportedly indicating Biren Singh's complicity in the series of violent attacks against them. His reckless public statements, along with the initial inaction that led to nearly 5,000 police weapons being looted by the Meiteis, had totally eroded his government's credibility. Meanwhile, the Centre did act by promptly deploying central forces and appointing a police adviser, among other measures. Union Home Minister Amit Shah camped in Imphal for over two days, personally overseeing coordinated operations to manage the situation administratively. But political steps were lacking. The CM remained in office despite his total failure and alleged complicity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's long silence, and the Centre's lacklustre attitude in general, only added a communal colour to what was essentially an ethnic conflict over land and illegal immigration. Also Read: Manipur solution lies in reconcile, reform, disarm. Not in dramatics Finding a realistic solution With President's Rule now in force, the task ahead for the Centre is to deliver a fair, lasting settlement. There is some legitimacy in the demand of the Meiteis for rights to acquire land outside the valley. But granting ST status to a community that is way ahead politically and economically in the state would be unfair and unacceptable to the Kukis and even the Nagas, as ST status means reservation in jobs, education, and other opportunities. Settlement in the Imphal valley has placed the Meiteis disproportionately ahead of hill tribals in political, administrative, social, and educational spheres. With the added advantages of reservation, the already well-off Meiteis would irrevocably dominate the Kukis and other minorities of the state, and lasting peace would remain a delusion. The option of granting special status to the Meiteis for the sole purpose of acquiring land anywhere in Manipur may have to be considered. In short, a level playing field has to be ensured for all communities. Illegal immigration and settlements should be stopped. The issue of large-scale unemployment among educated youth should be addressed urgently, as there is hardly any private or public sector investment in the state as of now. Formation of peace committees and rehabilitation of displaced persons should be taken up on priority. And, of course, resolute action and a firm crackdown on those resorting to violence must continue. KV Madhusudhanan, former Inspector General (IG), was the chief of the North Eastern Sector of the CRPF. Views are personal.
