Manipur Mayhem

After Indian independence, the hill tribes continued to enjoy a Protected Status under which tribal land could not be transferred to non-tribal, thereby preventing Meitei and other people from expanding into the hill districts. The valley-based Meitei dominate the political establishment possessing 40 constituencies out of 60. The Naga and Kuki tribes inhabiting the hills believe that abolishing the special status granted to them to preserve their ethnicity and awarding ST status to the Meitei people would make it legal for the latter to purchase their land and make inroads into the hill region.

Countering the rising tide of Hindutva in India today will need the assertion of moderate democratic, secular, and liberal forces that can challenge the use of force and violence against religious minorities.

In the 2022 Manipur Legislative Assembly Election, the BJP emerged as the leading party winning 32 seats out of 60. The rise of BJP empowered the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to incite Meitei to assert ‘Hindutva’ politics against religious minorities, giving a free hand to raise Meitei-based pressure groups encouraging vigilantism, cultural policing, and ant-minority rhetoric. The abrogation of Article 370 in Indian Occupied J&K and attempting to do the same with 371C governing Manipur’s tribal areas now is oiled by the same tactics reflecting the same mentality of suppressing and alienating the minority communities based on religious discrimination by depriving them of their legal rights, and thus turning them 2nd class citizen in their own country. Towards this end, the Modi regime not only undermines the Indian Constitution, but its actions are a blatant violation of international obligations to which India is a signatory. India’s blatant disregard for international tenants regarding the human rights of minorities and underprivileged communities is fraught with dangerous implications.

A viral video of two Christian women from the Kuki tribe being paraded naked on the roads by an unruly mob of the powerful Hindu community of Meitei caused severe public indignation. During the entire frenzy, the violent mob can be seen physically demeaning the women unabashedly, while one girl was later gang raped. This incident took place on 4 May 2023 in broad daylight. Despite many attempts by the Christian Kuki community, the State Police, empowered by the zealots of the BJP, did not register an FIR. According to India Today, Police registered the FIR on 21 June –only after an immense hue and cry was raised in political and social circles.

This year from May to mid-July, more than 181 people have been killed in ethnic riots. Some 60,000 have been displaced and forced to live in Relief Camps due to arson, including church burnings, vandalism of homes, temples, and churches, rioting, killing, mutilation, looting, and mass rape. A curfew was imposed across ten sixteen districts, including internet black-out and shoot-at-sight orders issued by the Manipur Government. Journalist Moses Lianzachin said at least twenty-seven churches were destroyed or burned down during the violence. The State Police face allegations of siding with the dominant Meitei community.

Due to unabated agitation, riots, and the complete collapse of the State Government’s failure to restore law and order, enforcing Article 356 envisages President’s Rule, could be a temporary measure to restore peace until normalcy. On the contrary, the State Government, run by BJP religious hate mongers, has been given Carte Blanche to deal with the issue in its own precincts.

Countering the rising tide of Hindutva in India today will need the assertion of moderate democratic, secular, and liberal forces that can challenge the use of force and violence against religious minorities. Unfortunately, Indian National Congress, India’s oldest political party with its perceived adherence to secularism and democracy, has lost its ability to emerge as a viable force against the BJP and its allies. Other political parties with regional affiliations, which though performed well in State Elections against the BJP, cannot forge unity with like-minded political groups to deal with the rising tide of the BJP collectively.

The issue of Indian-Occupied Kashmir and Manipur should be seen with the same lens. Both are primarily paying the price of being led by an ultra-nationalist BJP government whose core policy is to exploit ethnicity and religion to gain political mileage. The evolution of India’s religious dynamics, focussing on the emergence of Hindutva ideology, has resulted in an intricate interplay between religion, politics, and societal shifts that have not only erected multi-layered challenges but impacted minority communities in an environment increasingly dominated by religious intolerance, fanaticism, and political manoeuvres.