India's Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Anil Chauhan, on Tuesday clarified that the situation in India's Manipur has nothing to do with counter-insurgency, it is primarily a clash between two tribal communities or ethnicities.
“[The conflict] is primarily a clash between two ethnicities. It’s a law-and-order kind of situation and we are helping the state government. We’ve done an excellent job and saved a large number of lives,” Chauhan said.
“The challenges in Manipur have not disappeared and it will take some time but one hopes that they should settle down,” Chauhan added.
The remarks from the CDS came after Manipur State Chief Nongthombam Biren Singh on Sunday said that around 40 militants were killed in the state and that several media reports combined the deaths of the militants with the ongoing communal clashes in the state.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, at present on a three-day visit to the state, met the state chief and chaired high-level meetings with other ministers and senior officials in the state capital Imphal.
Shah also met Manipur Governor, Anusuiya Uikey, and the director of India's Intelligence Bureau, Tapan Deka, in the presence of Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai.
On Tuesday, Shah is set to visit the Churachandpur area, which is the region that has been worst affected by the clashes. He will also hold a series of meetings with political and civil society leaders from the Meitei and Kuki communities.
Communal Violence in Manipur
Deadly violent communal clashes erupted in Manipur in early May between the Meiteis and Kuki peoples, which left about 80 dead.
The Meiteis, who constitute about 55 percent of the total state population, are demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, a demand opposed by members of the Kuki tribe - who make up about 16 percent of the state population.
The Kuki fear that if the state government agrees to the ST demand, it will be a loss for them.
Being granted ST status would entitle the Meiteis to affirmative action for public sector jobs and educational institutions, in addition to giving them access to forested lands.