The Burning Sister

Cloudy weather and rainy mornings always give me a sense of peace and tranquility. There can be nothing better than a place which is all about harmony, cooperation and coherence. But what if this same equilibrium goes for a toss? 46 Days and counting and the same thought strikes my mind everytime I go through the unfortunate newspaper headlines reporting the violent clashes in Manipur. Northeast India is often considered as the crown of the nation. It is the seven states, proudly called as the seven sisters which adds jewels to it. Unfortunately one of the seven sisters has now been trapped in a vicious cycle of violence, loot and transgression and there looks no nearer end to it. 

It all started in Manipur post a 'Tribal Solidarity March' which was organised by All Tribals Students Union Manipur (ATSUM) in several districts of the state on May 3rd. The agenda of the rally was to oppose the Manipur High Court's order which directed the state government to consider inclusion of the Meitei community in the Schedule Tribe (ST) list. Geographically, Manipur is divided into the hilly and valley areas. Hills of the state are richly populated by the Naga, Kuki and Mizo ethnic tribes whereas the valleys on the other hand are dominated by the Meitei community. At first it may look like a region of many rich fold mountains but as sparsely populated a majority of the population is concentrated in the valley which since long, has been giving an upper hand to the the meiteis. To its effect 40 out of the 60 assembly seats are from the valleys, which is a boon, both politically and administratively for the people existing there. 

Meiteis since long have been demanding their inclusion in the ST list but to their disappointment the other tribal groups of the state such as the Nagas and the Kukis think that such a status will marginalise their very own position and rights in the society. Many also argue that various sub communities falling under the Meiteis have already been getting the benefits of the reserved class and any further extension would be a direct encroachment on the rights of the existing tribal communities coming under the reserved list. To their defence, Meteis argue that their population and condition have been on a decline over the past many years now and only a status of schedule tribe can help them improve their condition and preserve ancestral land, language and culture. 

Demographically, out of the total population of the entire state which accounts for over 35 Lacs, 41% are hindus, other 41% are christians. 8% are Muslims and remaining 10% are Pre Hindu Meiteis. Of the total 35 Tribes existing in the region, 53% accounts alone for the meiteis. The ongoing clashes has resulted in authorities being forced to impose Article 355 in the state which empowers Centre to take over the law and order of the state. This is sufficient enough to tell how grave the situation is, keeping in mind the fact that the parties governing the center and the state are the same. The Army, Paramilitary and other security forces were deployed along with the imposition of Article 144. Over a 100 people have already lost their life due to the violent clashes, 500+ are reportedly injured whereas around 50000+ are currently forced to take shelter under the refugee camps. A heavy exchange of population has been noticed in the region where the Kukis are found displacing towards the hills whereas the Meiteis are now forced to abandon their livelihood in the hills just to take shelter in the valley. With this a heavy turbulence in the economy has also been observed as the tourism sector is badly hit with the violence. The displacement of the communities is resulting in a fractured economic cycle destructing the overall economy of the state. 

Manipur was the first state where the National flag was hosted for the first time in free India. The state holds a significant place be it politically, economically or strategically. The prolonged violence is not only depleting the existing harmony and resources but is also causing further rifts between the communities which a country like India who aspires to be socially and culturally advanced cannot afford.The need of the hour is for the stakeholders to act more swiftly and take better control over the situation. The people of northeast are our brothers and sisters and are no different from us. It is also for the rest of the states to act more responsibly towards a state which has already seen much of dysfunction and bloodshed and is now waiting for peace and order to take place.