The violence occurred in Manipur between the Meitei people, a majority that lives in Imphal valley, and the Kuki tribal community from surrounding hills in May 2023. At least 130 people have been killed and 400 wounded in violence that began in May. Over 60,000 have been forced from their homes as the army, paramilitary forces, and police struggle to quell violence. Police armouries have been looted, hundreds of churches and over a dozen temples ruined, and villages have been destroyed.
In the Motbung area of Kangpokpi district, where the Kuki people have a significant presence, over 20 houses have been set on fire. More than 1,000 people belonging to the Meitei community have fled the Kuki-dominated Churachandpur district.
Amid surging reports of sexual crimes that took place amid the macabre dance of death that entailed what now seems like a barbaric scene, a 37-year-old woman had complained to Manipur police alleging that she had been gang-raped by Kuki men when she was trying to flee her burning house with her two sons, niece and sister-in-law, NDTV reported.
Tension and shame scaled in Manipur after a May 4 video surfaced last week showing two women from the Kuki community being paraded naked by a mob of Meitei men.
Why did the violence happen?
According to local media, the attack in May came after fake reports of a Meitei woman who Kuki militiamen had raped. This unleashed “a new, deadly cycle of reprisal violence on Kuki tribal women allegedly by Meitei mobs”, The Print says.
Chief Minister N. Biren Singh’s plea for calm has proved futile. Suggesting that the violence was the result of a misunderstanding, Singh said that the government was taking all measures to maintain law and order, including requisitioning additional paramilitary forces. Central and State forces have been directed to take strong action against individuals and groups found engaging in violence.
What were the necessary actions taken?
As the violence increased, the Centre invoked Article 355 of the Constitution, which is a part of emergency provisions. It empowers the Centre to take necessary steps to protect a State against external aggression or internal disturbances. In the last few days, a group of trucks belonging to the Army, the Assam Rifles, the Rapid Action Force, and local police personnel have moved into the State, entered several violence-hit areas, and given shelter. The Indian government has deployed 40,000 soldiers, paramilitary troops, and police to the region in an attempt to stem the latest round of violence. So far, it has resisted calls from tribal leaders to impose direct rule.
On 7 August 2023, the Supreme Court took suo moto cognizance and formed a committee consisting of retired Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Gita Mittal (who will lead the committee), former Bombay High Court judge Justice Shalini Phansaklar Joshi and former Delhi High Court judge Asha Menon to look into relief and rehabilitation, and appointed former Mumbai Police Commissioner Dattatray Padsalgikar to oversee the investigation.
Government’s statements-
On the note of two women from the Kuki community being paraded naked by a mob of Meitei men, PM Modi said the incident had “shamed India” and that “no guilty will be spared… what happened with the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven”.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement that the violence in Manipur “revealed the underlying tensions between different ethnic and indigenous groups”. He urged the authorities to “respond to the situation quickly, including by investigating and addressing root causes of the violence in line with their international human rights obligations”.
Read more about the incidents at thehindu.com
Written by Stuti Shah, Edited by Harsha Chhawchharia
