This is the current affairs of 23 & 24 July 2023. These are important in competitive exams for government jobs.
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A viral video from which caste-hit state shocked the nation, showing a crowd of hundreds parading naked two women?
a. Nagaland
b. Tripura
c. Mizoram
d. Manipur
Answer: d. Manipur
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Due to the violence in Manipur, Meitei people were asked to leave from which state by an organization linked to the militants, after which thousands of people started migrating?
a. Nagaland
b. Tripura
c. Mizoram
d. Assam
Answer: c. Mizoram
What is the history and present condition of Kuki and Meitei caste dispute in Manipur?
– Manipur’s fire has now reached Mizoram
– The fire of ethnic violence in Manipur has now reached Mizoram.
– An association associated with the militants issued a statement saying that the Meitei people living in Mizoram should leave the state in view of their safety. The sentiments of the Mizo community are hurt at this time.
– This advice is being perceived as a threat.
After this thousands of people are migrating from Mizoram.
– Manipur government has also said that it will evacuate its Meitei people by chartered flight.
Violence in Manipur:
– The violence between the two communities, Meitei and Kuki, has been ongoing for more than two months.
– Indian Express journalist, Deepthiman Tiwary, describes it as a unique conflict. Such a complete division within two communities has not been seen before.
– The two communities have become so divided that they believe they cannot coexist anymore.
– The situation here has turned into a massacre (genocide). Many people have been killed, and several thousand homes have been set on fire.
– The Kuki community has started demanding a separate administration.
– On the other hand, the Meitei community alleges the presence of narco-terrorism in the Kuki area.
In Manipur, there are two main groups:
– One is the Meitei community (which is in the majority).
– The other comprises the Kuki and Naga Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities of the state.
– The Meitei community wants to be included in the Scheduled Tribe category.
– On the other hand, the Kuki community, which is already included in the Scheduled Tribe category, is against this.
– The entire dispute revolves around this matter.
Manipur:
– Chief Minister – N. Biren Singh
– Governor – Anusuiya Uikey
– Capital – Imphal
– Neighboring States – Nagaland, Assam, and Mizoram
– Bordering Country – Myanmar
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Historical Background:
– The British took control of Manipur in 1891.
– After India’s independence, it became a princely state.
– In 1949, Manipur merged with the Indian Union.
– Manipur was placed under the governance of a centrally administered region from 1956 to 1972.
– In 1972, Manipur was granted the status of a full-fledged state.
Disputes after becoming a state:
– After becoming a state, Manipur’s hill districts were protected under Article 371c of the Constitution.
– According to Article 371c, non-tribals are prohibited from purchasing land in the hill districts (similar to Article 370, which was abolished in Jammu and Kashmir).
– The hill area comprises 90% of Manipur’s territory, where indigenous tribes reside. There are 34 recognized tribes, broadly categorized as ‘Naga tribes’ and ‘Kuki tribes.’ Their population constitutes only 36% of the state’s total population.
– The valley area constitutes 10% of Manipur’s territory, where the Meitei community resides. Some of them are categorized as OBC (Other Backward Classes), and others fall under the Scheduled Caste category. Their population is 64.6% in Manipur.
– In ethnic terms, the valley has a Hindu majority, while the hill areas have a significant Christian influence.
– Development in the state has not been uniform. The valley has witnessed better development in areas such as healthcare, education, and others, whereas the hill regions have experienced minimal progress.
– This has led to the division between the hill and valley regions, known as the hill-valley divide.
– 90% of the hill areas, where the tribes reside, account for only 20 out of 60 seats in the legislative assembly, as the population is smaller.
– On the other hand, 40 members are elected from the valley, despite it being just 10% of the territory, due to its higher population.
– These disparities create tension between the two regions.
Meitei’s Demand:
– Meitei’s demand is to be given the status of Scheduled Tribe.
– It is said that Meiteis were once considered a tribe themselves, who later embraced Hinduism. Among them, some are Muslims, and some are Christians, but the majority are Hindus. They predominantly reside in the Imphal Valley and occupy only 10% of Manipur’s territory.
– Other tribes include Kuki and Naga, both of which are mostly Christian.
– However, the minorities (Kuki and Naga) claim that it is easier said than done as they lack basic facilities in their areas.
– In the valley, they can engage in farming and have access to medical colleges, hospitals, educational institutes, and other amenities.
– Meiteis argue that they cannot possess tribal land as per their demand.
High Court’s decision sparks controversy:
– In May 2023, the Manipur High Court issued an order directing the State Government to send a recommendation to the Central Government to grant tribal status to the Meitei community.
– In response to this, tribal groups organized rallies.
– During these rallies, incidents of clashes and violence occurred.
– Subsequently, the situation escalated, leading to an outbreak of communal violence.
Why is the situation out of control despite the presence of security forces:
– Indian Express journalist Deepthiman Tiwary states that it was known from the first day that rallies would be held in several districts, including Churachandpur.
– In Churachandpur, it was estimated that 60 to 80 thousand people would gather. When such a large crowd gathers, it becomes challenging to control the situation.
– This also creates fear among other communities.
– On the same day, a large number of forces should have been deployed there, but it failed to happen.
– During this time, the rally emerged from an area where there were villages of both the Meitei and Kuki communities, and their populations were mixed.
– Tensions escalated, leading to violence.
– After this, the Kuki War Memorial was set on fire.
– Various rumors started spreading, further fueling violence and unrest.
– In the first three days, 72 people were killed, with 60 of them being Kuki individuals.
– At that point, the Kuki community felt targeted.
– Consequently, Kuki people retaliated by killing several Meitei individuals.
– The situation became such that the Kuki people who were in the valley had to flee to the hills, and the Meitei people who were on the hills had to run to the valley.
– This led to a complete demographic and emotional separation between the two communities.
What is happening now:
– There are some fringe areas, meaning the areas between the Imphal Valley and the hills.
– These areas have mixed villages, comprising both Meitei and Kuki communities.
– In these areas, Kuki people are setting fire to Meitei houses, and Meitei people are doing the same to Kuki houses.
– They are specifically targeting each other.
– However, Naga and other tribes’ villages have been spared from these incidents.
Forces Fail to Maintain Peace:
– After the first incident in May, 40,000 forces were deployed there. However, the forces have been unsuccessful in controlling the situation.
– It is now estimated that there are around one lakh troops from the army, Assam Rifles, paramilitary forces, and police personnel stationed in the area.
Police Also Looted, Both Communities Stole Thousands of Weapons:
– Indian Express journalist Deepthiman Tiwari says that there is a lack of trust in the security forces and the police here.
– The people of the Kuki community claim that the Manipur police are under the influence of the Meitei people.
– In the early violence (May 2023), around 4000 weapons from Manipur Rifles and local police stations were looted in Imphal Valley.
– The security forces claim that in some cases, the weapons were not looted but handed over.
– Since they belong to the same community (Meitei), they opened the locks of the police stations and allowed the looting to happen.
– Such incidents occurred in Churachandpur and some other places where there are Kuki people in the police force.
– They also opened the locks of the police station in solidarity with their community and took weapons with them.
– At present, there are thousands of weapons on both sides.
– These weapons include guns, assault rifles, SLRs, long-range guns, three-shot-three, grenades, explosives, and bullets.
– There are even 51 MM mortar fires, which are usually used by the military or IRB (Indian Reserve Battalion).
Weapons Ban for Security Forces a Big Challenge:
– Now, it is a significant challenge for the security forces.
– Because such a large number of militarized civilians have not been dealt with by the security forces.
– In Manipur, both sides have thousands of assault rifles, making the situation more complex.
Gun Culture in Manipur:
– On the other hand, in Manipur’s society, different from the rest of the country, there is a gun culture.
– In the hills or valleys, people generally want to have a gun at home.
– If you visit the house of any legislator in Manipur, you will find instructions on how to obtain a gun license.
– Manipur has witnessed insurgency for several decades, which has instilled fear and fascination within the society.
– There has been a long-standing movement for an independent Manipur.
– Then came the Kuki insurgency, followed by the Naga insurgency.
– So, each militant group has had its own period of influence, leading to the emergence of a militarized society at a small level.
– Whether it’s in the plain areas or the hilly regions.
– The Kuki people live in the jungles and engage in hunting, which is why most of them possess guns.
– The prevalence of guns in Manipur presents a major security challenge.
Police Also Divided:
– The Kuki population does not trust the Manipur police.
– Whereas the Meitei people do not trust the Assam Rifles (which is a part of the Indian forces).
– The reason is that the Assam Rifles is the primary security force in the region and has been deployed there for decades to control insurgency, with approximately 20 battalions stationed in the area.
– Most of their camps are situated in the hills, which has led to the development of natural relations with the hill population over the years.
– The Meitei people claim that the Assam Rifles turn a blind eye to the drug trade. They also accuse them of allowing poppy cultivation (opium) in the hills.
– They say that the Assam Rifles allows illegal immigrants to enter the region.
– However, the Assam Rifles vehemently denies these allegations. They assert that they have rescued many Meitei families and provided them protection.
Is the Influence of Myanmar’s Kuki a Major Issue?
– It is a fact that illegal immigrants are a problem.
– This is a matter of investigation. The Meitei people claim that their numbers are significant, but the Kuki people say that their presence is minimal.
– Since the 2011 census, no updated data is available, so the exact number of illegal immigrants is unknown.
– Over the years, many Kuki people have been forced to flee from Myanmar due to the actions of the Myanmar military.
– It is somewhat similar to the situation when the Rohingyas had to flee from Myanmar at one point. Not to the same extent, but there are similarities.
– The Kuki tribes in Myanmar have familial relations with the Kuki tribes in Manipur. They are related to each other.
– Mizoram has set up many relief camps for those who fled from Myanmar. However, such arrangements have not been made in Manipur.
– It is said that due to the existence of neutral territories, village chiefs hold some power, and they have allowed these people to settle and build new homes.
– This has caused a reaction from the Meitei people in Manipur. They argue that this settlement leads to deforestation and the creation of new villages, negatively impacting the environment.
Government’s Failure
– The government’s failure was evident from the beginning. Police stations were being looted.
– All the Kuki police personnel fled to the hills, while all the Meitei police personnel gathered in the field.
– This has caused the security structure to collapse.
– After this, there was great hope that there would be some changes through the intervention of the central government under the constitutional responsibility.
– So, there are about one lakh military, paramilitary, and police personnel, while the population is 32 lakhs.
2- So much so that even the Director-General of Police (DGP) was replaced.
– A security advisor was sent.
Home Minister’s Visit
– Amit Shah stayed there for four days. It is unprecedented that the Home Minister of the country spends four days in a small state. It’s not a state like Uttar Pradesh or Madhya Pradesh; it’s a small state.
– He went to all the areas and talked to everyone.
– He appealed to maintain peace for 15 days, and they would find a political solution for the issue.
– But during those 15 days, many people were killed.
– Many houses were burnt down.
– The words of the Central Home Minister made no difference.
– The state government and the central forces could not follow the Home Minister’s words. They couldn’t provide security.
How will the violence stop?
– Indian Express journalist Deepthiman Tiwari says – talk to any politician or security chief, no one has an answer to this.
– Everyone understands that the first priority is to prevent dead bodies from falling, to avoid people getting killed.
– The second priority is to ensure that homes do not burn.
– As long as homes continue to burn and people continue to be killed for a prolonged period, there is no possibility of peace talks.
– When Amit Shah visited, he formed a peace committee, but on the first day itself, it failed.
– Both groups said they would not include the other in their peace committees.
– So, the peace talks ended right there.
– Both sides are saying, how can there be peace talks when bullets are being fired from the other side and homes are being burned? What can we talk about?
– When we talk to India or Pakistan, they say, what can we talk to you about, you are sending militants towards us.
Burning the homes of leaders:
– In the Maitheei population, there is a growing frustration that nothing is being accomplished.
– They say if the local leaders are not doing anything, they should go to Delhi and do something.
– Due to this frustration, Manipur’s leaders have come to Delhi and are sitting here.
– People in Manipur are frustrated that nothing is happening, so they express their anger by burning the homes of leaders.
– The BJP office has heavy security because they fear that the office might also be set on fire.
– No one is willing to return the guns. They say that the other group should disarm first.
– Now it is the responsibility of the security forces to instill trust among the people.
– The security forces say that they have not been ordered to shoot and kill. So, what should we do in such a situation?
– Both sides are armed with guns, and we cannot kill anyone.
