Manipur Burns – Once Again

On 1st November 2016, the United Naga Council (UNC) called for an indefinite blockade of the Imphal Valley in Manipur. Violence broke out on 18th December, in the Khurai area between a local counter-blockade and the police. Though no lives were lost, there was destruction of property, including burning of 21 vehicles.

Even after two months, the blockade still continues without a solution in sight.

What has led to the current impasse? The Ibobi Singh government, after a marathon meeting of the cabinet, had issued a gazette notification on midnight of 9th December, creating new districts by bifurcating 7 of the 9 existing ones. All the five hill districts, which have a majority population of hill tribes, were bifurcated. This sudden decision is what has led to the current crisis in Manipur. The UNC sees this division as a move by the Manipur government to take control of Naga lands away from them.

This notification creating new districts, changes the land use policy of the hill areas of Manipur. The Manipur (Hill Areas) District Councils Act, 1971, had created the autonomous district councils. Before this notification, any such change of land use, required the consent of the Autonomous District Councils. By creating new districts out of existing hill districts, the rights of the Autonomous District Councils have been taken away. Worse, the District Councils were not even consulted by the Ibobi Singh government before issuing of the notification.

Manipur is a multi-ethnic state with 33 recognised tribes. The majority of the state live in the four central districts of the Imphal valley, and are Meiteis. The surrounding five hill districts are relatively less densely populated, and dominated by the Nagas, along with the Zomi and the Kuki tribes. The only connecting road to the Imphal Valley runs through the Naga dominated hill districts, therefore the possibility of a blockade by the UNC.

The government claims that the decision has been taken considering the long-standing demand of the Kuki tribes. However, it is being seen by the Nagas as a move to create internal conflicts among the hill tribes. Till this step, the hill tribes were united against the Ibobi Singh government, on its anti-migration stand. As a part of this anti-migration stand, three Bills on the Inner Line Permit (ILP) were passed by the Manipur Assembly last year, which are currently in abeyance.

Conflict is not new to Manipur. In May 2016, massive protests broke out after the Manipur Assembly passed the ILP Bills. In 2010, the Manipur government had denied entry to T. Muivah, the Naga leader, who wanted to visit his home village. This had then led to large scale protests and blockade of the Valley.

Knowing the possibility of protests from the Nagas, why did the Ibobi Singh government take this hasty decision? Obviously, this move is designed to generate support among the Meiteis for the upcoming assembly elections in the state. The bulk of the assembly seats – 41 out of 60 seats – are from the Imphal Valley, while the hills control only 19 seats.

In May, 2016, Newsclick had interviewed Binalakshmi Nepram of the Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network. She had identified then that the main problem of the state was “very bad governance”. Once again, the people of Manipur are victims of a hasty, ill-prepared decision; or of bad governance. As Nepram had said, “we (have to) put our minds and our heart and our energies to be able to resolve this conflict”.