Renewed Ethnic Violence in India’s Manipur After Six Bodies Discovered

India’s north-eastern state of Manipur is under heightened alert following the recovery of six bodies, identified as women and children reportedly from the majority Meitei community. Meitei groups have asserted that these individuals were abducted and murdered by armed factions of the minority Kuki group. This development triggered a new wave of violent demonstrations, prompting authorities to cut internet services in some areas of the state over the weekend. The two ethnic communities have been engaged in a deadly ethnic conflict since May of the previous year, which has claimed 200 lives and displaced thousands. On Saturday, protesters vandalized and set fire to the homes and offices of at least a dozen lawmakers, primarily from the state’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Police have arrested 23 individuals in connection with the unrest, and authorities have imposed an indefinite curfew and suspended internet services in the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley and Bishnupur district. This month, at least 20 people, including both Kukis and Meiteis, have died in outbreaks of violence between the two ethnic groups. Tensions escalated on 7 November, after members of an armed group allegedly raped a woman, reportedly belonging to the Kuki community, and subsequently set her on fire in the state’s Jiribam district. Four days later, a police station and a relief camp housing Meitei refugees in the area were attacked. The majority community attributed responsibility for this assault to Kuki groups. On the same day, police fatally shot 10 armed men in what they described as a shoot-out, also known as an “encounter” in India. Police alleged that the men were suspected Kuki militants, but Kuki organizations deny this, claiming the individuals were “village volunteers” – armed civilians protecting their community. Following the attack on the relief camp, six residents – a grandmother, her two daughters, and three grandchildren – went missing. Meitei groups alleged they were abducted by armed Kuki men. On Friday, police reportedly recovered six bodies; although their identities have not been confirmed, rumors circulated that they were the same Meitei family, igniting a wave of violent protests. Protesters and civil society groups are demanding that authorities put an end to the atrocities and take strong action against the armed groups operating in the state. On Tuesday, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh condemned the abduction and killing of the six Meitei individuals, calling it a “barbaric act”. In the wake of the unrest, the federal government has dispatched senior security officials to Manipur. Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level security meeting on the situation on Sunday, but the state continues to experience instability. Clashes between the Kukis and Meiteis first erupted in May last year, sparked by Kuki protests against demands from Meiteis to be granted official tribal status, which would make them eligible for affirmative action and other benefits. Since then, the state has endured months of violence and unrest, with only intermittent periods of calm. Currently, Manipur is divided into two distinct areas, with Meiteis inhabiting the Imphal Valley and Kukis residing in the surrounding hill regions. Borders and buffer zones guarded by security forces separate these two areas. This report has been updated to reflect the statement from Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday evening local time. Readers can connect with BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external sites. Details concerning our approach to external linking are available.