Manipur Violence
What is the history of insurgency in Manipur?
Q. Context/Why is it in news?
· The Manipur
violence broke out because of the High Court’s order asking the state
government to submit a recommendation for the inclusion of the Meitei community
in the state’s list of Scheduled Tribes.
· Seeking to
restore peace in Manipur, where at least 80 have died in clashes since May 3,
Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced a series of measures, including a
judicial probe panel, a peace committee, and an inter-agency unified command
for better coordination.
· A peace
committee, led by Governor AnusuiyaUikey and comprising stakeholders like
industrialists, sportspersons, elected representatives, and both Kuki and
Meitei members will also be constituted.The peace committee will including
representatives of the CSOs.
· Shah also
announced a CBI probe to investigate six cases, including five identified cases
from all registered cases and one case of general conspiracy.
Q. History of conflict in Manipur:
· Manipur has
been in the cross-currents of India’s oldest insurgent movements. The Naga
national movement in the 1950s and the fight for an independent Nagalim touched
parts of Manipur. The NSCN-IM entered a ceasefire agreement with the Indian
government only in 1997.
· While this
movement was raging, the Meiteis in Manipur were also opposing the merger
agreement between the Manipuri king, Maharaja Bodhachandra, and the Indian government.
· In 1964, the United National Liberation Front
(UNLF) was formed, demanding secession from India. Subsequently, numerous
Meitei insurgent groups, or Valley Insurgent Groups, came into being, such as
the People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and the People’s
Liberation Army (PLA), which received arms and training from China. These
valley groups operated with a dual purpose – independence from India, and
warding off Naga insurgent groups.
· The Kuki-Zomi
groups were in fact a reaction to Naga aggression against the Kukis. In
1993, a massacre of Kukis by the NSCN-IM left thousands of Kukis homeless. The
Kuki-Zomi tribes organised various armed groups after this.
· At around the
same time, similar clashes were taking place between the Meiteis and Meitei
Pangals (Muslims). This led to the formation of the Islamist group People’s
United Liberation Front, alongside several others. These groups are no longer
active in the region.
Q. Government
reaction
· The Indian government enacted the Armed
Forces Special Powers Act in 1958 in reaction to the Naga separatist
activity, initially implementing it across Nagaland and parts of Manipur. With
the valley movement gathering steam, this Act was then extended to the entire
state.
· In the 1980s, Manipur was declared
a disturbed area. Various peace talks since led to a tripartite Suspension of
Operation (SoO) agreement between the Centre, the state and the Kuki-Zomi
groups in 2008.
· As the law-and-order situation
gradually improved, AFSPA has been repealed from several areas.
· The Valley Insurgent Groups have,
however, never entered an agreement with the Centre or participated in any
peace talks, and technically, remain active.
Q. The Kuki-Zomi insurgent groups
· The Kuki-Zomi
movement started as defence against aggression by other groups, but quickly
morphed into a call for Kukiland – an imagined country spreading across the
Kuki-Zomi inhabited areas of India, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Over time, this
was diluted to simply a call for a separate state.
· Churachandpur district has the highest
number of insurgent groups in Manipur, with 24 operational groups under the
SoO. But camps designated by the Indian
government dot Kanpokpi, Chandel and Tengnoupal districts along with
Churachandpur. These camps house arms safety rooms with a double lock – one key
remaining with the camp leader and a second with Indian security forces. The
cadres within the camp are armed.
· The primary
groups in the area include the Kuki National Organisation and its armed wing
the Kuki Revolutionary Army, the Zomi Re-Unification Organisation, Zomi
Revolutionary Army, the Kuki National Front, the Kuki National Liberation
Front, United Kuki Liberation Front and Kuki National Army.
Q. Dominant groups
· Out of the
valley insurgent groups, the UNLF, considered the mother of all Meitei
insurgent groups, remained the most powerful till recently. The valley
groups sporadically carried out ambushes against security forces and planted
IEDs. The UNLF is believed to have received its initial training from the
NSCN-IM.
· Amongst the
Naga groups, the NSCN-IM is the most prominent, with bases across Ukhrul and
Senapati districts.
Q. Insurgent groups and politics
· The insurgent
groups are intricately woven into the daily life in Manipur. From lofty goals
of self-determination, they have over the years declined into a more mercenary
role – usually on hire for intimidation.
· The valley
groups, in particular the UNLF, have from time to time called for strikes, like
on August 15 or January 26. The Meitei groups have set in stone the valley’s
moral code, through ‘rules’ such as a ban on Hindi movies and music, ban on
Indian clothing, regulations on what can be shown in Meitei movies, and a ban
on alcohol.
· The groups,
across communities, also levy ‘taxes’ on the public.
· But where the
groups are most visible today is in the political life of the state.
Candidates, cutting across party lines, stand for elections with insurgent
backing, and the groups dictate to the voters who should win.
