Amit Shah's Visit to Manipur: 10 Things You Must Know About

Manipur Violence: Tension has escalated over the last few weeks in Manipur with repeated incidents of arson and violence. While the state government and the Centre are trying to keep the situation under check, ethnic clashes continue to create unrest in the northeastern region of the country. So fa4r, 80 people have died in the violence. The government has tried in vain to impose a slew of rules in the region, including internet shutdown and shoot at sight orders, to bring the situation under control.

Here are 10 things you must know about what happened in Manipur so far...

On April 19, 2023, the state government was ordered by the Manipur High Court to submit a 10-year-old recommendation to the Union Tribal Affairs ministry to include Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribes list, after hearing a petition filed by the Meitei Tribal Union

Following the court's order, the tribals in Manipur took out a Tribal Solidarity March, against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) Status. This triggered a clash between the communities on May 3.

Their contention was that the Meitei already had an edge in terms of demography and politics and were much ahead in several aspects, including academics when compared to the tribals of the state They argued that granting of ST status to Meitei would render them jobless. They also said they were scared of losing their lands a granting ST status would give the Meitei community permission to acquire land in the hills.

It may be recalled that Manipur Chief Minister had ordered an eviction drive against illegal occupants of the protected forest land in February 2023. However, people in the Kuki region refused to leave saying it was their right to live there leading to minor clashes. The government had also pressed into service policemen and JCBs for the eviction. So tensions had already flared up following that incident.

Suspension of Internet services was extended by the government following clashes. The government also set up a helpline to prevent gossip mongers from spreading misinformation

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is flooded with a bunch of pleas challenging the High Court's order on granting ST status to the Meitei community. The Apex Court has sought a status report on the clashes between Kukis and the Meitei community. The court is scheduled to hear the matter in the first week of July.

The security forces have shot at least 33 militants from different groups in a bid to curb the sporadic incidents of violence in the northeastern state, according to Manipur CM N Biren Singh.

On Saturday, Army chief General Manoj Pande paid a visit to the strife-torn region to assess the situation

Meanwhile, the Indian Army and the Assam  Rifles have evacuated 35,000 civilians from the conflict areas to safer zones. Humanitarian air and relief materials too were made available to the displaced civilians.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is on a four-day visit to Manipur. He chaired a high-level meeting with ministers of the state and CM N Biren Singh to plan measures to restore law and order situation in the state.