In Manipur riots 221 churches, 17 temples and 3413 houses burnt

Manipur: As of last count, 96 people have been killed in the communal clashes that have gripped Manipur since May 3, of which 25 are from the Meieti community and 63 are from the Kukis, while eight remain unaccounted for. Another 14 people from Meitei are still missing. This was revealed to Media by a source involved in maintaining law and order in the state.

NUMBER OF HOUSES/VILLAGES BURNT DOWN/VANDALIZED DISTRICT WISE (MEITEI & KUKI)

The source added that 1,988 houses belonging to Meiteis and 1,425 Kuki houses spread across 158 Meitei-majority villages, 83 Kuki-majority villages and 33 villages of mixed population were burnt or vandalized. 1,449 of the Meitei houses were destroyed in the Kuki-majority district of Churachandpur. Similarly, 1,030 kooky houses were reduced to rubble in Kong Pokpi.

NUMBER OF CHURCHES BURNT DOWN/VANDALIZED DISTRICT WISE

Apart from lives and property, miscreants also targeted places of worship. While 17 temples were vandalized in the districts of Churachandpur, Bishnupur, Kangpokipi, Tengnupal and Imphal East, 221 churches were also burnt at various other places.
Geographically Manipur can be divided into two parts – the Imphal Valley and the hilly areas. Out of the 60 assembly constituencies in Manipur, 40 seats are in the valley regions comprising six districts – Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Bishnupur, Kakching and Kangpokpi.

NUMBER OF TEMPLES BURNT DOWN/VANDALIZED DISTRICT WISE

The remaining 20 seats are spread across 10 other districts. The valley districts, dominated by the Meitei community, who are already predominantly Hindu, account for only 11 percent of the geographical area but 57 percent of the total population of 2.8 million (Census, 2011).
The hill districts, home to the Naga and Kuki tribes, who are mostly Christians, account for 43 percent of the population.
The immediate trigger for the latest round of violence, which began on May 3, was the ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) against the recent order of the Manipur High Court in the state. The government was directed to make a recommendation. Center to include the Meitei community in the state list of Scheduled Tribe (ST) within a period of four weeks.
The court’s order reignited historic tensions between the Meitei community living in the valley and the state’s hill tribes, mainly Nagas and Kukis.
There is a long history of ethnic rivalry between the three communities. The hill tribes claim that the valley people have blocked all development work in the state as they gain political dominance, while the Méiteis allege that they are being increasingly marginalized in their homeland.
Their population which was 59% of the total population of Manipur in 1951 has now reduced to 44% as per 2011 census data. More importantly, they cannot buy land in the hilly areas where tribals have special rights and are forced to remain confined to the Imphal Valley.
This is one of the reasons why several organizations are demanding tribal status for the Meiti community. A recent petition filed by the Meiti Tribal Union before the Manipur High Court argued that the Meitei community was recognized as a tribe before the merger of the state of Manipur with the Union of India in 1949, but after the merger. Lost its identity as a tribe.
In order to “save” the community, and to preserve the native land, tradition, culture and language of the Metis, they want the tribal identity back.
However, the state’s tribal bodies believe the demand is being seen as another attempt by the Meieti community, which has 40 representatives in the 60-member assembly, to gain control over the entire state. For the record Chief Minister N Biren Singh is a Meitei.
Tribal groups also point out that the Meitei community is already classified under Scheduled Castes (SC) or Other Backward Classes (OBC), and has access to opportunities associated with that status. Some Meiteis also belong to the upper caste.
Although the situation remains tense in various parts of the state, it has improved since Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s four-day visit to Manipur between May 29 and June 1.
Shah announced a judicial committee headed by a retired high court judge to probe the violence in Manipur. A special CBI team will investigate six specific cases that hint at a conspiracy behind the controversy.
The Center and the state each donated Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the violence and as part of the relief and rehabilitation package for the conflict-affected. Shah added that a peace committee comprising civil society members will be headed by the Governor of Manipur.