MANIPUR has been rocked by violence between tribal groups and the majority Meitei community over the latter’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The unrest has displaced thousands of people from both communities, even as the Centre has deployed riot-handling teams of the Rapid Action Force in the disturbed areas of the northeastern state. Trouble started in Torbung area of Churachandpur district during the Tribal Solidarity March organised by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) on Wednesday in protest against the Meiteis’ demand. During the march, an armed mob allegedly attacked members of the Meitei community, triggering retaliatory attacks in the valley districts. The Meiteis account for 53 per cent of the state’s population, while the share of the tribal people (including Nagas and Kukis) is about 40 per cent; the former inhabit the valley region, while the latter reside mostly in the hill districts.

The incumbent state government and its predecessors are to be blamed for allowing the situation to spin out of control. Last month, the Manipur High Court had asked the state government to send a recommendation to the Centre within four weeks on the Meitei demand for ST status. It was in 2013 that the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs had written to the Manipur government, ‘requesting for a specific recommendation along with the latest socio-economic survey and ethnographic report’. However, the then Congress dispensation in the state did not do the needful; the BJP-led alliance, which has been in power from 2017 onwards, has also allowed the sensitive issue to fester.

The volatile situation needs to be defused by lending a sympathetic ear to the tribal population, which is apprehensive that its educational and employment opportunities will shrink once the Meiteis are added to the ST list. At the same time, the wishes and expectations of the Meitei community must be duly taken into account. Having become a major stakeholder in the North-East, the BJP should go the extra mile to restore peace and public order in Manipur. The state government, in coordination with the Centre, must work out a solution which is acceptable to all groups concerned. Sustainable economic growth and social stability can be ensured though peaceful coexistence of various communities in Manipur, or for that matter in any state of the country.