2023–2024 Manipur violence
On 3 May 2023, ethnic violence erupted in India's north-eastern state of Manipur between the Meitei people, a majority that lives in the Imphal Valley, and the Kuki-Zo tribal community from the surrounding hills. According to government figures, as of 28 February 2024, 219 people have been killed in the violence and 60,000 people have been displaced. Earlier figures also mentioned over 1,000 injured, and 32 missing. 4,786 houses were burnt and 386 religious structures were vandalized, including temples and churches. Unofficial figures are higher.
| 2023 Manipur violence | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 3 May 2023 – present (11 months, 2 weeks and 2 days) | |||
| Location | Manipur, India 24°36′N 93°48′E | |||
| Caused by |
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| Methods | Arson (including churches and temples) Vandalism (including homes, temples and churches), Rioting, Murder (including lynching), Mutilation Plundering Mass rape | |||
| Parties | ||||
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| Casualties | ||||
| Death(s) | official – 219 (28 February 2024) earlier - 175 (14 September 2023) (98 Kuki-Zo, 67 Meitei, 6 unidentified, 6 security personnel) unofficial – 181 (29 July 2023) (113 Kuki-Zo, 62 Meitei) | |||
| Injuries | 1,108 | |||
| Damage | 60,000+ displaced ~400 churches damaged or destroyed 17 temples vandalized | |||
Location within India | ||||
The proximate cause of the violence was a row over an affirmative action measure. On 14 April 2023, acting on a writ petition, the Manipur High Court ordered the state government to send a recommendation to the central government on the demand for a Scheduled Tribe status by the valley-based Meitei community, a decision later criticised by the Supreme Court. To protest the Meitei demands for the scheduled tribe status, the All Tribal Students' Union Manipur conducted peaceful protest marches on 3 May. After one of these marches, clashes broke out between Kuki and Meitei groups near the border between the Churachandpur district and Bishnupur district, followed by house burning. The violence quickly spread to the Kuki-dominated Churachandpur town and the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley, targeting the minority community in each area. According to Reuters, 77 Kukis and 10 Meiteis were killed within a week.
In addition to the ST status, other issues had been festering prior to the violence. For example, the Kuki people in the hill districts saw themselves as being the target of the state government's treatment of indigenous land rights concerns. There have been evictions of Kuki communities as a result of efforts to survey forests, which were ostensibly made to stop the cultivation of poppy.
The Meitei community has also experienced a rise in insecurity as a result of the flood of refugees from Myanmar following the military coup in 2021, particularly those from the Sagaing region. In one of the instances, the Manipur government have questioned the central security forces, especially the Assam Rifles, of allowing illegal immigration from Myanmar. Many organisations have protested against Assam Rifles of siding with the Kuki communities, including instance of Manipur police filing FIR against its personnel for enabling Kuki militants to escape by obstructing the police movements.
According to several organisations, there have been accounts of partisan killings by security forces, as well as allegations of the police siding with the Meitei community.