Version imprimableStop the violence in Manipur!
We are deeply concerned about the continuing ethnic violence in Manipur between the Meitei community and the tribal Kuki and Zo communities. We demand an immediate halt to this violence that is causing a large-scale disruption of lives, livelihoods and properties and unleashing even more terror among people.
The immediate trigger to this violence was an April 2023 Manipur High Court order advising the state government to grant the Meitei community (members of which now have either OBC or in some cases SC status) the status of Scheduled Tribe. Thereby, the Meitei community would have access to land that is currently reserved for tribal communities. Several spates of violence broke out throughout the month of May leading to a civil war situation given that both the groups were armed, leading to a complete breakdown of law and order. What we have witnessed since then has been unprecedented brutality and widespread atrocities against the civilians, by security forces, the police and the armed groups.
Manipur is burning today in very large part due to the divisive politics played by the BJP and its Governments at the Centre and State. And on them lies the onus to stop this ongoing civil war before more lives are lost. The violence is affecting men, women and children, over 50,000 people in more than 300 refugee camps and lakhs displaced.
Indeed, the situation has been grim since January this year when the BJP state government began efforts to remove
