The rising violence in Manipur after the judgment of the High Court remained constant. The decision was then passed to the Supreme Court of India, which then nullified the decision of the Manipur High Court, claiming it to be ‘factually wrong’ and imposed a stay order for the same. The statement by Supreme Court given on Wednesday did not, however, aid in stopping violence in Manipur, the situation remains the same.
In the two days following a mob attack on Thursday night, the Churachandpur district of Manipur experienced violence and high emotions; however, some normalcy returned on Sunday, April 30. On the day when Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh was to unveil an open gym, a mob set fire to the chairs inside. The CM was also scheduled to speak at a public rally after the opening.
The Churachandpur district, particularly Lamka town, which was the scene of the most violent, also came under the provisions of Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which prohibits gatherings of five or more individuals together in one place.
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What are Kuki groups saying?
Tribal bodies, particularly the Kuki tribes, are unhappy with the land survey conducted by the state. The survey was carried out for the Churachandpur-Khoupum Protected Forest region. It covers an area of around 490 sq km and spreads across three districts, namely Churachandpur, Bishnupur, and Money.
The ITLF has now said they would continue non-cooperation against the government until it nullifies the 1966 government order that declared tribal areas as protected/reserved forests. Mon Tombing, the tribal forum’s secretary, accused the government of conducting the survey without the consent of the people and cited several lapses in the procedure. He sought the intervention of the Central government. The governing body of the Kuki tribes, Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), described the eviction drive as a violation of human rights and claimed it was conducted without any plans for rehabilitation.
The Kuki Inpi had requested a peaceful protest in March against the eviction, but the Kangpokpi district gathering descended into violence. The Biren government later claimed that the protests had been planned for “unconstitutional” reasons and that the “encroachers” had been using the area for “poppy plantations and drugs business.”In addition, Biren claimed that armed organizations such as the Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA) and Kuki National Army (KNA) were supporting the protestors, and he then revoked the cease-fire agreements with them. The Kuki groups became increasingly resentful of each other as a result.
What is the Manipuri government saying?
Violence in Churachandpur was characterized by N Biren Singh as a district-internal issue. He added that he had been invited by the local MLA to the opening ceremony, which was held to commemorate the local MLA LM Khaute’s election one year earlier.
“The state did not organize the opening of the open gym,” he claimed. However, he issued a warning that individuals who are “anti-development and establishment” would face harsh punishment. The state has a constitutional obligation to conserve and preserve it’s protected and preserved forest, according to Union Forest Minister Bhupendra Yadav, who was addressing on the sidelines of an event on Sunday in Imphal.
Yadav claimed that while woods were a state subject as of the 1927 Forest Act, they were placed under the concurrent list following a 1976 revision. However, he asserted that the state is the rightful owner of the forest.
The Manipur violence in the state caused by the clash of Meitei-Kuki groups has been constant, ignoring the words and steps taken by the government.
Despite IPC 144 being put on in Manipur, there seems to be no end of violence in the near future without a diplomatic statement and its implementation that satisfies both groups.
