Manipur is one of the northeastern states of India, bordering Myanmar to the east of Bangladesh. Half of the population living here are Meiteis, while 43% are Kukis and Nagas, a Scheduled Tribe ethnic minority.
The Meitei population lives in 10% of the plains in the central part of Manipur, while the remaining 90% of the hilly land is inhabited by the Kukis and Nagas, a minority tribal group. Compared to Kukis and Nagas, this population is ahead in educational opportunities, job opportunities, and political opportunities. The conflict between these ethnic groups in Manipur has led to the current situation.
The incident that happened to two Kuki women in Manipur made the community questionable. Since this incident, 170 people have died and 400 people have been injured in the state of Manipur.
Government has taken the following steps while enforcing Article 355 in Manipur
40 thousand para military forces have been sent to Manipur to bring the situation under control. In Manipur
A curfew has been imposed in border areas where the situation is tense .In Manupur and the shoot-on-sight order has been implemented.
Internet services were suspended for five days to prevent any false news from going viral in the media.
And if we look at the reasons for these situations, their roots are from before independence, but let us analyze the current reasons here.
Let us first look at the population living there
The Meitei population is the dominant population in the fields, mostly Hindus and Muslims, while the Kukis and Nagas are hill tribes and Christians.
The main reason is that the Maitri people are demanding recognition as tribals because the tribal laws allow the people of this region to buy land in the hilly areas due to the increasing population. Similarly, while the Kukis are a dominant ethnic group in Manipur, there have been concerns that if they are recognized as tribals, they will be forced to become refugees in their own state. Thus these two races took up the path of agitation to fulfill their respective interests.
Politically, out of 60 assembly seats in Manipur, 40 seats are located in the plains where this population lives and the remaining 20 seats are in the hilly areas. N Biren Singh, the current chief minister, is also a BJP candidate. He also belongs to the Meitei race.
Another reason is that the Kukis are also unhappy with the Meitei language being recognized as the official language in the state of Manipur and making it a compulsory language up to class 10. The reason is that their linguistic cultures are being neglected by the government.
Amidst all these discontents and clashes between these two races, the immediate reason for the present situation is the following.
In order to preserve the protected forest area in the state, the current government has cleared the habitats in those areas, in such a way the habitats of the Kuki people have been demolished. At the same time, a fake news saying that a Meitei woman had been killed by Kukis went viral on WhatsApp, and the clashes between Meitei and Kukis led to the current tense situation.
The unrest that started in May continues even now and the situation in Manipar is still tense with civil life disrupted and property destroyed.
Let us think for once what policies should be taken by the governments in the states where the conflict between races continues
When ethnic conflicts are happening in an area, these should be reduced, that is, if the governments can make the ethnic groups economically dependent on each other, then if one is damaged, the other will also be damaged, so such ethnic conflicts will return to normal conditions.
Although women in Manipur are socially and economically ahead, only five women were able to enter the legislature in the elections held in 2018. Politically, when women go to the legislature in a large percentage, this racial conflict may be resolved. The reason is that women played a vital role in the social movements in Manipur sincepre-independence and observed the anti-AFSPA movements, so women’s political upliftment can help Manipur upliftment.
Social studies 