Clashes between rival ethnic groups in Manipur, a remote state in northeastern India, are believed to have killed dozens in recent days and the situation remains volatile, even as authorities poured troops into the area to quell the turmoil and find a way to control the flow. of information.
The unrest, which began Wednesday, arose from a dispute over who should claim the special tribal status for additional privileges. The largest group in the state, which makes up more than half of the population, is seeking that title for itself.
By Thursday, the violence had reached unusual levels, as people burned houses and vehicles, Churches and Temples. There is no government confirmation of the widely reported death toll in Indian news outlet is more than 50, although one official, who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to confirm a number, described it as accurate.
In response, the Indian Army sent nearly 10,000 soldiers and paramilitary forces to Manipur, a state of less than 3 million people near the borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar, more than 1,000 miles from New Delhi.
On Friday, the state’s governor issued a “shoot now” order, giving security forces the power to open fire on crowds “under severe circumstances.” It is not clear if they did and if this accounts for any of the causes. 54 people died The reports of the Indian news agencies were counted at three different hospitals.
An army spokesman said Friday night that it had secured “firm control” of the hardest-hit counties. But since authorities have also shut down the internet, imposed a curfew and canceled trains into the area, it’s impossible to say if this is true.
Paojel Chaoba, executive editor of Manipur border, a local news site, described a “complete violation of law and order” he had never seen before in Manipur. “The home of the state’s top police officer has been attacked and the body count is constantly increasing,” he said in a phone interview.
Thousands of Manipuris have fled, many in the west to neighboring Assam state, a police chief there told a Indian news wire.
Some stayed, like Lenkhohao, a 60-year-old village chief in charge of a village of 80 households in Churachandpur district and a member of the Kuki ethnic group.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” he said in a phone interview, adding that gunfire could be heard throughout Friday, as well. the sound of the moving crowd. That evening, he said, a group of about 200 members of the Meitei group, along with Manipur police officers driving jeeps, launched an attack on his village.
“We only have about four or five guns, but they have more than that. We fired multiple shots in both directions and ran for cover in the rice fields,” said Mr. Lenkhohao, who used only one. “But we fought back fiercely, and they were forced to retreat.”
He said at least four people were killed in a neighboring village.
The northeastern region of India is a patchwork of groups, differing in language and religion, and often at odds with each other and with the national government over internal borders and human rights issues.
The recent unrest began with a group of students organizing a march to protest against efforts to reclassify the Meiteis, the state’s largest ethnic group, as a “scheduled tribe”. Currently only the Naga and Kuki people of the state, who live in rugged mountainous areas, enjoy this title, which, among other things, gives it an advantage in securing government jobs.
A group representing Meiteis filed a petition for scheduled tribal status more than 10 years ago. Last month, the High Court of Manipur issued a ruling noting the lengthy delay and giving the state government just four weeks to propose a plan to the national government.
