India Insight: Manipur’s Ethnic Dispute – Why Is The Conflict And Hasn’t It Ceased?
Hindustan Times
On the early days of May 2023, the state of Manipur saw the beginning of what would become the region’s worst conflict. Located in the Imphal Valley one of the parties of the dispute is found, the Meitei people, who are a majority in Manipur and a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group. This community constitutes 53% of the state’s population and possess an astounding control over Manipur’s politics. On the other side of the conflict, bordering the hills are the Kuki-zo indigenous ethnic group, an umbrella term for many tribal communities, and in its majority, are Christian and scheduled tribes. The Kukis are a people who are also present in Bangladesh and Myanmar like the Meiteis. For several decades, the communities shared the area until a decision from the high court to the regional government. It was on March 27, 2023, that the court shifted Manipur’s political landscape forever by commanding that the state considered granting Scheduled Tribal (ST) status to the Meitei people. Almost two months from the High Court’s discussion, many tribal communities of the region held protests against the solidification of the Meitei as an indigenous group, who, in retaliation, held counter-blockades and opposing rallies.
It is important to highlight that Manipur has witnessed a series of confrontations between indigenous tribes inside its borders; for instance, during the 90s Naga and Kuki armed organisations entered a conflict which led to several casualties, some claiming it to be a massacre of Kukis. The Naga-Kuki dispute was a driving force for the Kuki community to legally request territorial protection and demand their rights, as well as militarized a section of Kuki society. Since the end of the violent events, the Kuki people became more politically involved and grew their presence within the Manipur political landscape demanding protection of their land, wider representation in politics, as well as a separate state. Nonetheless, as it is with all communities, there are different representative organs, hence, it is difficult to generalize the demands made by the Kukis. On the other hand, it is vital to explain that the demands previously mentioned are somewhat of a consensus amongst the Kuki organisations.
Parallelly to the political works of the Kukis, the Meitei people was also politically organized and had their own demands. At the highest point of their agenda was being granted the Scheduled Tribe status, because, according to them, they presented historical tribal characteristics and were seeking protection of Meitei identity. Additionally, the people were procuring security for their land ownership and demographic protection. For several years, the Naga and Kukis united against the establishing of the Meiteis as a “tribe”, claiming that they already ruled over the political and economic atmospheres of Manipur, and granting them the ST status would endanger protected tribal land. The indigenous tribes were skeptical of the Meitei’s intentions, fearing that they would begin competing for tribal reservations and, possibly, entering protected land. In contrast, the Meitei people perceived the quarrels as a threat to their existence and legitimacy. This is a pillar of the conflict that ignited between the Kukis and the Meitei over three years ago.
Prior to the convolution initiated in May, on March 27, 2023, a judge of Manipur’s high court suggested that the judicial system consider the Meitei’s request to be recognized as one of the tribes within the Scheduled Tribe list. It was when the Pandora’s box opened. That day foreshadowed what the next three years of Manipur would look like. It was, however, nearly one month and a half after the catalysis, that violence broke out on the streets of Manipur. Tribal organisations organized a Tribal Solidarity March as means to oppose the court’s discussion. What began as a peaceful protests, led to an overwhelmingly violent clash between the opposing forces, leading to the death of 10 Meiteis and 77 Kukis only in the first week of the conflict. Reports displayed that Manipur accounted for a shocking majority of violent encounters in 2023, over 75% of incidents have happened within the limits of the state.
The militias from the involved parties are no strangers to violent encounters between one another, as they have been engaging in “battles” for many years due mostly to religious differences. Most of Meiteis are Hindus, whereas the vast majority of Kukis identify as Christian, which directed the communities into direct confronts. Nevertheless, as the editor of The Frontier Manipur, Dhiren A Sadokpam says: “this time the conflict is strictly rooted in ethnicity, not religion”. Although the conflict is deeply complex and envaulted in several nuances, in order to better explain it, one may summarise it by claiming that the Kukis’ dissatisfaction with the possibility of the Meiteis becoming a part of the ST list has triggered the ongoing “war”. Since the first violent days, brutality has been a constant for over three years, reaching a casualty number of 220 to 260 between both communities. Different census point to distinct information, with the government’s displaying a lower number and unofficial ones point towards a larger number of deaths.
As of 2026, new developments have taken place, nonetheless, violent encounters still happen occasionally. The matter, however, is lasting so long the Supreme Court has now gotten involved. On July 24, 2026, the court started discussion process of discussing the assembling of a special court in order to address the issue and the many crimes committed throughout it. The court is yet to reach a decision whether it will be establishing the court or not; nonetheless, as for now, the Meiteis have not received ST status and the fire remains lit.
