Already in May, major violence broke out between the Kuki and the Meitei, two ethnic groups that both live in the state of Manipur in northern India. There have long been tensions between the groups – partly due to differing views on land rights and political governance in the area.
Long conflict
The cup ran over on May 3 this year when a group of people, mainly Kuki, demonstrated against the Meitei group’s demand that they should be given national status as a “scheduled tribe”, a title which in the country means that the group would have strengthened legal rights, and better access to healthcare, education and jobs in government.
The Meitei are the majority population in the state and already dominate positions in the state government. If they were to receive increased rights in addition, Kuki and several other minorities in the state believe that they would be disadvantaged and forced out of the areas of the state where they live.
The protests by the Kuki population led to major violence, which is still ongoing. Over 60,000 people have been forced from their homes and at least 130 people have died.
Sexual abuse shed light on the situation
Despite the fact that the conflict has been going on for almost three months, India’s Prime Minister has long refrained from commenting on the events. On Thursday, July 20, he broke his silence after a clip of Kuki women being forced to go naked while being molested by several men began to circulate on the Internet. The video has sparked anger and shock in many around the country, which has led to the conflict now receiving greater political attention nationally.
India’s Supreme Court has called on authorities in Manipur to take immediate action to hold the perpetrators in the video accountable. Prime Minister Narendra Modi commented that “the incident in Manipur is a disgrace to any civil society”.
However, Modi has still not commented on the ongoing inter-communal violence more directly.