Anuradha Oinam and Stanzin Lhaskyabs
Catholic Christians hold placards and participate in a peace rally against violence in the northeastern Manipur state, in Hyderabad, India, Friday, Aug. 25, 2023.Credit: AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.
On June 9, 2024, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his newly elected Union Council of Ministers took their oaths in New Delhi, violence erupted in Manipur’s Jiribam district. Homes were burned, and many people were displaced. The Manipur conflict, which marked its first anniversary in May 2024, continues unabated. A high-level meeting led by Home Minister Amit Shah on June 17, 2024, highlights the ongoing security crisis in the region.
A Perpetual Turmoil
May 3, 2023, marked a dark day in Manipur’s history when violence erupted between the Meitei and Kuki communities in the Churachandpur district. The conflict began after a peaceful protest march organized by the All Tribal Student Union of Manipur (ATSUM) against the Manipur High Court’s recommendation to recognize the Meitei as a Scheduled Tribe (ST). The violence escalated from burning the Anglo-Kuki War Memorial to destroying homes and killings, displacing about 5,000 people within 48 hours. Within two months, the number of displaced individuals soared to 60,000, the death toll reached 70, and over 1,700 buildings, including homes and religious structures, were reduced to ashes. Social media disinformation and misinformation fueled further violence, including the use of rape as a weapon. Additionally, the looting of about 3,000 arms and ammunition from police stations and state armories exacerbated the conflict.
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