Manipur Issues Shoot-At-Sight Orders Amid Violence
Why is Manipur burning? For the full story check out our latest video.
There is severe violence going on in Manipur. This video shows the reason why Manipur is burning. For the full transcript of the video please visit -
Violence broke out in the northeastern state of Manipur. Churches were set ablaze, armed mobs attacked villages, set house after house on fire, ransacked shops. From Churachandpur to the capital Imphal, violence between Manipur’s Kuki tribe and the Meitei community has been going on for 2 days. To understand what the issue is we need to understand the state of Manipur. The state land has clearly distinct areas - Imphal valley and the hills. Meiteis are about 53% of the entire population of the state. The Imphal Valley is dominated by Meiteis, who are Hindus. The hills are dominated by 35 different tribes. Major are Naga and Kuki tribes who are Christians. The Imphal valley is the most populated part of the state as it not only has people from most of the tribes but migrants from other parts of the country and the world. Since about a decade, the Meitei community has been demanding a Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, saying that there are difficulties arising from "large-scale illegal immigration by Myanmarese and Bangladeshis.
The Manipur High Court directed the state government to consider within four weeks the request of the Meitei community. The court asked that the recommendation be sent to the Centre for its consideration. All Meitei Council said that the Manipur Government started an eviction drive to clear illegal settlements in reserve forest areas. The drive was in all areas, including those inhabited by Meiteis and Muslims, but only the Kukis were protesting. However, according to the All Manipur Tribal Union, How can they have ST status as they are advanced? They will take all the tribal land if they get ST status. A student organization, All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM), organized a tribal solidarity march in the 10 hill districts on 3rd May to protest the demand of non-tribal Meiteis for scheduled tribe (ST) status.
According to the All Manipur Tribal Union, the solidarity march ended at 1pm. By 2.30pm, a group of Meiteis brandishing guns descended on Kuki villages and set houses on fire. They only moved back only after Kukis from neighbouring villages and towns came to confront them. Over 30 people were injured. The Meitei mobs returned again at 8pm and burnt houses in Kangvai village. Reportedly, Kuki, Zomi, and Hmar tribes were targeted and around 14 churches were attacked. In retaliation, tribal youths attacked Meitei neighborhoods in Churachandpur. However, in what seemed like a setup, the Meitei neighborhoods were already vacated, and men armed with sophisticated weapons opened fire on the attacking youths. However, the Meiteis have a different version and chronology. They said that in Naga-dominated areas, the solidarity march was peaceful but in Kuki-majority, Churachandpur it became very violent. Kuki people holding guns took part in the solidarity march. They went ahead in the evening to Meitei villages, torched houses, vandalized properties and chased away Meitei people. Some villages in Churachandpur now have no Meiteis; they haven't returned, fearing violence. The same happened in the popular Moreh town too, where 40-50 houses and shops were burnt. Children were given sleeping medicines by their parents so that they don't cry and alert the armed Kukis of where they were taking refuge. In a tweet, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh appealed to the people to cooperate with the government in maintaining peace and harmony. Singh said the violence was a result of a “misunderstanding". “The state government is taking all steps to maintain the law and order situation Union home minister Amit Shah spoke to Manipur CM N Biren Singh, taking stock of the law and order situation in the state. The Centre has dispatched teams of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) for deployment in violence-hit areas. Due to the violence, the Army and Assam Rifle personnel were deployed in several affected districts in Manipur. The Manipur government suspended mobile internet services across the state for the next five days. Curfew has also been imposed in several districts of the state. As the situation worsened the state government issued “shoot-at-sight” orders “in extreme cases”. The violence has made Olympic medalist and boxing icon MC Mary Kom to plead for help. "My state Manipur is burning, kindly help," she tweeted. Videos of lynchings and gunshot deaths are doing the rounds on the internet.
