Manipur's Ethnic Fault Lines

Manipur is no stranger to voilent protests. but this was the first time in three decades that direct violent clashes between the two ethnic groups, the Kulki - Zomi tribals and the pre-dominantly Hindu Meiteis, eruppted in the first week of May 2023. There are 16 disrricts in Manipur, but the state is commonly considered divided into 'valley' and 'hill' districts. 

Today's valley districts of Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Bishnupur and Kakching were part of the erstwhile kingdom of Kangleipak, ruled by the Ningthouja dynasty. Many historians and acedamics say the tribal areas outside the valley were also the part of the kingdom, but this is disputed by the tribes, particularly Naga tribes. On the other hand, the Manipur valley is encircled by skirts of low hills that spread into Nagaland and Mizoram. In these hill areas, which comprise the bulk of Manipur's geograpical area, live 15 Naga tribes and the Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zomi group, which includes the Kulki, Thadou, Hmar, Paite, Vaiphei and zou people.

Ethnic tension between the hill communities and the Meities exist from the time of the erstwhile kingdom, but the fricton started growing with the advent of the Naga National Movement in the 1950s. The Naga and Kulki movements fuelled Meitei nationalism. Concerns over demographic change and the shrinking of tradtional Meitei areas started to emerge in the 1970s. The free movement of the Kulki-Zomi across the state's porous border with Myanmar fanned fears of demographic change.

In this background, the demand for Scheduled Tribe status for Meiteis gained currency. Thier another grudge has been that while tribal could buy land in the valley, Meiteis were prohibited from purchasing land in the hills. after the High Court decision granting ST status to the Meiteis, student group of Kulki-Zomi tribals organized rally which led to widespread violence.