- Saturday, March 01, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
At least 13 people were killed while several were injured in two days of violence that broke out in the north-eastern Indian state of Manipur following a an opposition staged by the tribal communities to the demand made by the Meiteis, the state’s majority community, for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, The Wire reported.
While N Biren Singh, the chief minister of Manipur, has said all steps are being taken to bring the situation under control, the ground reality is far from assuring since the violence erupted on Wednesday (3), the report added.
Manipur, which borders India’s eastern neighbour of Myanmar, witnessed large-scale violence between the tribal and non-tribal communities that started out of a march on May 3 by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur in different hill districts. The march was to oppose granting ST status to the Meiteis.
Last month, the high court of Manipur had asked the state government to submit a recommendation to India’s tribal affairs ministry to grant ST status to the Meiteis. The tribal communities objected to the move saying it would affect their constitutional safeguards and rights.
As the disturbance spread, the state suspended internet services for five days and a curfew was imposed in eight districts, including those dominated by both tribal and non-tribal communities. Visuals of fire, gunshots, burnt vehicles and stone-pelting were also seen on social media.
On Thursday (4), India Today reported that Vungzagin Valte, a three-time state legislator from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and a former tribal affairs minister of Manipur, was attacked by a mob in state capital Imphal while he was returning after meeting the chief minister. He is reportedly in a critical condition and receiving treatment at the incentive care unit of a hospital in Imphal.
Local people told The Wire that the situation was threatening across the entire state as people were roaming around freely with arms and ammunition.
Manipur’s director general of police P Doungel appealed to the people in a press conference to return the arms and ammunition that they allegedly looted and warned of stringent action if they were not returned within the next few days. He even advised people to drop the arms at one place and inform the police without identifying themselves.
Army and paramilitary forces were rushed to the north-eastern state and as many 9,000 people were rescued. The Indian Air Force deployed C17 Globemaster and AN 32 aircraft for carrying out sorties in the violence-hit areas of Manipur, India Today reported.
Indian home minister Amit Shah, who spoke to chief minister Singh, called off his visit to the poll-bound southern state of Karnataka in the backdrop of the violence in Manipur to review security arrangements in that state.
The Narendra Modi government also took charge of security in the disturbed state by promulgating Article 355 of the Indian Constitution, an emergency provision, which says that it is the duty of the federal government to protect every state against factors such as external aggression and internal disturbance.
