Manipur Violence: 67,000 Displaced Due to Ethnic Conflict, Report Finds

IMPHAL: A new report from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre in Geneva says that ethnic violence in Manipur, which began on May 3, 2023, has forced 67,000 people in the state to leave their homes.

The report states that displacement linked to conflict and violence has risen in other parts of the region, primarily due to increasing communal tensions in Manipur, a northeastern state of India. These tensions were largely triggered by the state's high court requesting recommendations in March to be sent to the central government to recognize the Meitei community as a "scheduled tribe," an official status aimed at safeguarding minorities from marginalization. This call was met with opposition from other local scheduled tribes, including the Kukis. Land disputes were also cited as a fundamental factor driving these tensions.

The report highlights that the number of 67,000 displaced people is the highest in the country since 2018.

The report further states that protests escalated into violence in Churachandpur district on May 3, spreading to other districts such as Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Tengnupal, and Kangpokipi. This led to approximately 67,000 displacements, marking the highest number of displacements due to conflict and violence in India since 2018. While more than three-quarters of the displacements occurred within Manipur, nearly a fifth were to the neighboring state of Mizoram, with smaller numbers going to Nagaland and Assam.

The report also mentions that a total of 600,000 people were displaced in the country in 2023. Besides the 67,000 displacements in Manipur due to conflict and violence, the rest were caused by natural disasters such as floods, storms, earthquakes, and other calamities.

Earlier, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has submitted a report in a case involving serious violence in Manipur that began over a year ago.

The NIA's investigation suggests a link between weapons stolen during raids on police armories and those found in the possession of individuals believed to be involved in organizing the violence.

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