Army Rescues 7,500 People After Clashes Erupt in Manipur
Deexa Khanduri
Sputnik correspondent
State chief N. Biren Singh said the violence resulted from a "prevailing misunderstanding between two communities", and appealed to citizens to cooperate with the authorities to establish law and order.
SputnikThe Indian Army along with the Assam Rifles, a paramilitary force, have evacuated more than 7,500 citizens from the violence-hit state of Manipur, as per an official statement.
Troops have been deployed in the state capital Imphal to control the situation.
The Army also conducted the flag march.
What Lies Behind Violent Clashes in Manipur
On Wednesday, thousands of tribals attended a protest called by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur across all 10 hill districts of the state. They opposed the status of Scheduled Tribe (ST) for the Meitei community.
On 19 April, the state High Court asked the government to include "the Meetei/Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe list" in four weeks.
Many tribals opposed the court's decision as they feared that Meiteis might take over their land, resources, jobs, and other affirmative actions granted if they are given Scheduled Tribe status.
The Meitei community accounts for 60 percent of the Manipur population, and is largely concentrated in Imphal. They also dominate state politics.
Manipur has two major tribal communities – Naga and Kuki – who live in the hill districts, which account for about 90% of the state's area, making up about 35.4% of the state's population.
Now, the Meitei community, which has been demanding ST status since the early 2010s, said they're facing difficulties due to large-scale illegal immigration by people from Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Thongkholal Haokip, assistant professor at JNU's Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, in his paper "The Politics of Scheduled Tribe Status in Manipur" wrote that "The claim that Meiteis need ST status to protect their culture and identity is self-defeating. The Meiteis are a dominant group controlling the state and its apparatuses. The state has been protecting their cultural, political and economic rights. As such, their culture and identity are in no way endangered…"
Wednesday Rally
On Wednesday, a rally organized in the Churachandpur district turned violent after demonstrators clashed with a group of people.
Several shops and houses were ransacked and set ablaze. Many people were injured in the three-hour violence, police said. In the Imphal Valley, Kuki tribal community homes were ransacked and people were forced to flee. About 500 residents of the Kuki-dominated Langol area in Imphal West have now been shifted to the Central Reserve Police Force camp at Lamphelpat (district headquarters).
About 20 houses were vandalized or burned in the Motbung area of the Kangpokpi district. Similarly, violence was also reported in Moreh, near the Myanmar border.
Around 1,000 Meiteis of the
tribal-dominated Churachandpur district fled to various areas.
Curfew has been clamped in 10 districts, and Internet has been suspended for five days starting Wednesday.
"We are committed to protecting the lives and property of all our people. Long-term grievances of different communities will also be suitably addressed in due course in consultation with the people and their representatives," atate chief N. Biren Singh said in a video statement.
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to the Manipur state chief and took stock of the situation in the state. He assured all support to the state and said that the Centre is monitoring the situation. The federal government has also dispatched teams of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) for deployment in violence-hit areas of the state.