By July 2023, most of us know more about the ethnic tribes, the Meiteis and the Kukis, in Manipur than we had ever known before. In what is referred to as of being ‘unprecedented magnitude’ by the chief justice of India, the roots of the Manipur ethnic violences run deeper.  

A little into what happened     

Apr 27, 2023: A day before chief minister N Biren Singh’s visit  the Kuki protestors had set fire to an open gym that Singh was to inaugurate on Apr 28. Just a day later, protestors and security forces would clash, and the internet services would be shut down. Followed by that, curfews were imposed and multiple reports of the violence kept coming from the state frequently.

July 30: Almost three months after the triggering events, resolution seems to be far-fetched. In fact, horrific riots videos, abuse of women, and displacement of people continue to be reported. 

The friction between the tribes, mainly consisting of the Meitei, Kuki, and Nagas, go way beyond April though.

The Meitei, Kuki, and Naga

The Meitei, residents of the valley, are the majority in Manipur. Making up around 53-55% of the population of the state. Predominantly Hindu, they have a royal history attached to them.

The second tribe are the Nagas, which make up 24-25% of the state. They also live in the Imphal valley, and in the conflict, they have no role to play, as per their apex body, the United Naga Council.

The Kuki, mostly Christians, reside in the hilly areas of the state, and are currently opposing the state government’s consideration to declare the Meitei as a ‘Scheduled Tribe’.

The valley residents, Meitei reside in the small, 10% of the land, whereas Kuki reside in the hilly areas that cover almost 90% of the land. This premise lays the grounds for  where the conflict lies.

The origins of the Manipur tribes

The Meitei first appear in Manipur history in 33 AD, though the source is not reliable.

One thing is clear though, that the Meitei come from a royal past, and the Naga tribes were the ones residing in the valley, before Kuki came around.

Where did the Kuki come from, then?

The Kuki, originally from Burma (today’s Myanmar) were brought by the British into the state in the late 18th century.

In 1762, the Meitei king signed a deal with the British that would mark the arrival of the British in the state.

To defend the state from the frequent attacks from Burma (and sometimes even the tribal Nagas), Kuki were brought in and settled into the hilly areas, protecting the valley.

‘Seven Years of Devastation’

The Kuki were now protectors of the state, protecting it from the attacks of Burma. However, from 1819 to 1826, Manipur would go down into the Burmese rule, which history would label as the ‘seven years of devastation’. The state was ransacked economically and socially by the Burmese, leaving the state in a dire state filled with torture and dark times.

The ‘devastation’, however, would end in Feb 1926, when the Anglo-Burmese war was won by the British. On the flip side, the British were now prominently in charge of the state, and the king was only on the throne without any real powers.

What did the British do?

In 1891, with a coupe, the Anglo-Manipur war broke out between the royals and the British. The British were able to gain control back, and they made a five-year-old Churachand Singh a king.

Effectively, the Meitei-occupied valley region came under British rule, but the hill areas were left on their own.

By this time, the Kuki had begun their own raids on the valley, and once the protector tribe, was now raiding the British-occupied Manipur.

With World War I on the horizon, the polity in the state was once again about to change.

In 1917, when the great war broke out, the British would demand soldiers from Manipur. The Naga agreed to that, but the Kuki did not. In fact, they rebelled against the British. The Englishmen had to bring in the Indian army to get the situation under control.

The Kukis, who were brought by the British into India, were now pushed back by the same Britts into the forest areas. Kuki did not have any animosity against the Meitei, but held a grudge against the British. 

In fact, living up to their ‘protector’ duties, four Kuki men were the bodyguards of the last Meitei King, Bodhachandra Singh.

After British left

In 1947, with India’s Independence, Manipur was integrated into India. However, the Naga insurgency demanded a separate country for the Nagas while the Kukis demanded for a separate state. The third frontier, Meitei, wanted to go back to its royal roots.

The successive governments were unsuccessful in handling the situation, and the different ideologies and aspirations for the state would create friction between the three communities, increasing with time.

The issue that plagues Manipur today

Since the disproportionate distribution of the land, the Meitei believe that their culture and language are under constant threat, despite being a majority in the state.

On the other side, Kuki is a Scheduled Tribe already. They fear that if the Meitei gains the ‘Scheduled Tribe’ status, they would be able to buy lands in the hilly areas, encroaching on their lands and forest, their culture and identity eventually.

The current chief minister N Biren Singh coming from the Meitei community doesn’t help the cause either, as Kuki thinks that Meitei would be favoured by him.

Amidst all this, the illegal immigration from Myanmar into Manipur, and Kuki’s alleged plantation of poppy crops due to the lack of employment and resources in the hilly areas fuels the fire between the two communities.

All of this, combined, led to a protest of the CM’s visit to Churachandpur in Apr 2023, a fire set to an open gym that would become impossible to extinguish even after three months, with no resolution in sight!

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