Editor's Pick: Shoot-at-sight orders issued in Manipur as violence intensifies

The ethnic violence that erupted on Wednesday in the hill state of Manipur has displaced 9,000 people so far, while has been no official confirmation of the number of people killed or injured in the violence. Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh, meanwhile, admitted that “some precious lives were lost”. The State government on Thursday, May 4, issued a shoot-at-sight order in “extreme cases”. About 500 personnel of the Rapid Action Force, a specialised unit to handle riots, were flown in on Thursday morning. They joined 55 columns of the Indian Army and the paramilitary Assam Rifles, apart from the police, in attempting to control the violence. Hundreds of houses, churches, temples, and vehicles were either vandalised or set ablaze across five districts: Imphal, Churachandpur, Bishnupur, Kangpokpi, and Tengnoupal. Clashes initially broke out during a solidarity march called by the All Tribal Students’ Union, Manipur, on Wednesday. Scheduled Tribe communities, mostly from the Kuki-Zomi tribal group, are protesting the Manipur High Court’s direction to the State to pursue a 10-year-old recommendation to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the non-tribal Meitei community. To put things into context, Manipur’s geography has the Imphal valley at the centre surrounded by hills. The valley, which comprises about 10% of Manipur’s landmass, is dominated by the non-tribal Meitei who account for more than 64% of the population of the State and yields 40 of the State’s 60 MLAs. The hills, comprising 90% of the geographical area, are inhabited by more than 35% recognised tribes but send only 20 MLAs to the Assembly. While a majority of the Meiteis are Hindus followed by Muslims, the 33 recognised tribes, broadly classified into ‘Any Naga tribes’ and ‘Any Kuki tribes’ are largely Christians. While the Meiteis argue that the ST status is needed to “preserve” the community and “save” their “ancestral land, tradition, culture, and language”, the tribal groups say the Meiteis have a demographic and political advantage besides being more academically and socially advanced. They feel the ST status to the Meiteis would lead to loss of job opportunities and allow them to acquire land in the hills and push the tribals out. There is also a technicality involved, while the proposal for inclusion of a community must originate from the State government, the Union government in 2013 sent a letter to the Manipur government seeking a specific recommendation for Meiteis along with the latest socio-economic survey and ethnographic report. The State, however, did not send such a recommendation to the Centre. Pro-government groups in Manipur claim some tribal groups with vested interests are trying to scuttle Chief Minister N. Biren Singh’s crusade against drugs. While the Kuki-Zomis are mostly leading the protests, pro-government groups say that they are also against the government’s drive destroying poppy fields. The theory being circulated is that “illegal settlers” from Myanmar — ethnically related to the Kuki-Zomis of Manipur — are behind clearing forests and government lands to grow opium and cannabis. At a time when the border State is already facing issues as a result of the political situation in Myanmar and Bangladesh, longstanding internal differences should not be allowed to compound the situation. While a permanent solution to the issues of tribal communities has stalled through decades of talks and multiple suspension-of-operation agreements, Mr. Singh’s administration should be quick to sit down with conflicting parties to find a resolution to the presently intensifying violence in the State. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor’s Pick and more. Click here. The Hindu’s Editorials Buoyancy check: on the findings of the S&P Global Services PMI Business Activity Index Strategic timeout: on the Bilkis Bano case and an outcome The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Which monarch was the first to use the throne being used in the coronation ceremony of King Charles III? Richard the Lionheart Edward the Confessor William the Conqueror Ethelred the Unready To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 05 May 2023 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( Shoot-at-sight orders issued in Manipur as violence intensifies The [ethnic violence]( that erupted on Wednesday in the hill state of Manipur has displaced 9,000 people so far, while has been no official confirmation of the number of people killed or injured in the violence. Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh, meanwhile, admitted that “some precious lives were lost”. The State government on Thursday, May 4, issued a shoot-at-sight order in “extreme cases”. About 500 personnel of the Rapid Action Force, a specialised unit to handle riots, were flown in on Thursday morning. They joined 55 columns of the Indian Army and the paramilitary Assam Rifles, apart from the police, in attempting to control the violence. Hundreds of houses, churches, temples, and vehicles were either vandalised or set ablaze across five districts: Imphal, Churachandpur, Bishnupur, Kangpokpi, and Tengnoupal. Clashes initially broke out during a solidarity march called by the All Tribal Students’ Union, Manipur, on Wednesday. Scheduled Tribe communities, mostly from the Kuki-Zomi tribal group, are protesting the Manipur High Court’s direction to the State to pursue a 10-year-old recommendation to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the non-tribal Meitei community. [To put things into context,]( Manipur’s geography has the Imphal valley at the centre surrounded by hills. The valley, which comprises about 10% of Manipur’s landmass, is dominated by the non-tribal Meitei who account for more than 64% of the population of the State and yields 40 of the State’s 60 MLAs. The hills, comprising 90% of the geographical area, are inhabited by more than 35% recognised tribes but send only 20 MLAs to the Assembly. While a majority of the Meiteis are Hindus followed by Muslims, the 33 recognised tribes, broadly classified into ‘Any Naga tribes’ and ‘Any Kuki tribes’ are largely Christians. While the Meiteis argue that the ST status is needed to “preserve” the community and “save” their “ancestral land, tradition, culture, and language”, the tribal groups say the Meiteis have a demographic and political advantage besides being more academically and socially advanced. They feel the ST status to the Meiteis would lead to loss of job opportunities and allow them to acquire land in the hills and push the tribals out. There is also a technicality involved, while the proposal for inclusion of a community must originate from the State government, the Union government in 2013 sent a letter to the Manipur government seeking a specific recommendation for Meiteis along with the latest socio-economic survey and ethnographic report. The State, however, did not send such a recommendation to the Centre. Pro-government groups in Manipur claim some tribal groups with vested interests are trying to scuttle Chief Minister N. Biren Singh’s crusade against drugs. While the Kuki-Zomis are mostly leading the protests, pro-government groups say that they are also against the government’s drive destroying poppy fields. The theory being circulated is that “illegal settlers” from Myanmar — ethnically related to the Kuki-Zomis of Manipur — are behind clearing forests and government lands to grow opium and cannabis. At a time when the border State is already facing issues as a result of the political situation in Myanmar and Bangladesh, longstanding internal differences should not be allowed to compound the situation. While a permanent solution to the issues of tribal communities has stalled through decades of talks and multiple suspension-of-operation agreements, Mr. Singh’s administration should be quick to sit down with conflicting parties to find a resolution to the presently intensifying violence in the State. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor’s Pick and more. 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