The violent clashes in Manipur are still on the rise, while tribes are now demanding the separation of the state for a specific community.
Despite multiple lives lost and a strict curfew imposed in most areas, the violence in Manipur has not died down yet, with the demands of both the clashing groups growing with each passing day. Now, the calls to form a new state and separate Manipur have also come forward.
The death toll in the Manipur violence has touched 100, with dozens of people still injured and thousands displaced from their homes. Now, both communities feel that the only way to end the violence is to separate Manipur for both groups.
A total of 37,450 people are currently sheltered in 272 relief camps. Clashes first broke out on May 3 after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
Meiteis account for about 53 percent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals Nagas and Kukis constitute another 40 percent of the population and reside in the hill districts. The two communities have been clashing for over a month now, with the government putting a strict curfew in place.
Reason for Manipur separation demands
According to multiple media outlets, the Kuki community, which primarily resides in the hills of Manipur, has been facing the brunt of the violence for the most part. Thousands of Kuki community members have been displaced from their homes, which were in the hilly areas.
Now, the Kuki community has claimed that the current situation in Manipur was a planned “cleansing of the hill people” and has refused to reside with the Meitei community in the state, which makes up the majority of the population.
The Kuki community has demanded that the only way this conflict can be resolved is by splitting Manipur into two and forming a new state for the hill community, separate from the Meitei tribe.
The protests and violence in Manipur started with the Meitei community demanded that they too should be included in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) status under the Indian Constitution, which would further give them special privileges like a reservation for college admissions and government, amenities similar to those for the Tribal groups.
(With inputs from agencies)
READ | DNA Special: Five issues, including reservation, that triggered Manipur violence
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 "DNA Explainer: Reason behind calls for separate state amid Manipur violence, why clashes are still continuing")
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