The violent clashes that broke out in many places in Manipur are a culmination of longstanding tensions and suspicions between the state’s tribal communities and the mainstream Meitei group. The Kuki and Naga tribes in the state have enjoyed reservation benefits. The Meitei have been demanding inclusion in the list of Scheduled Tribes.
The demand got a boost from a recent order of the Manipur High Court that directed the government to submit its recommendation on the matter within a month. This was seen as a step that would pave the way for grant of reservation to the Meitei.
The tribal groups organised a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ on Wednesday to protest against it. There was widespread arson and violence during the protest. The Army and the Assam Rifles have been called out. Shoot-at-sight orders have been issued and an internet ban is in place.
Reservations are increasingly becoming an issue of social conflict and political contestation, with many castes and communities demanding them and those who are enjoying the benefit resisting the demands from new groups. The Meitei are the majority community in Manipur, with 40 representatives in the 60-member Assembly. The tribal communities consider their demand for reservation as an attempt to deprive them and to take control of the entire state. The tribal groups are considered to be settlers who migrated from Myanmar and are derided as outsiders. Though the reservation demand is the immediate cause for the violence, there have been other issues of conflict, too. The tribal groups have alleged that the BJP-led government, headed by N Biren Singh, has targeted them. Many incidents in the last two years, including evictions from homes, have been cited as acts of hostility and discrimination. The government has defended the incidents as normal administrative actions.
The demand for reservations has been increasing because of the failure of the central and state governments to provide adequate and affordable education facilities and the inability of the economy to provide enough jobs for the country’s youth. Quotas are therefore seen to be a way to obtain scarce education and employment opportunities by all groups. Governments have been willing because of political considerations but the courts have not been very approving. The issue also gets mixed up with other issues of social and economic conflict and grievances, as in Manipur. The state government was seen as the champion of the Meitei community. It did not anticipate the violence and mishandled the issue. Contentious issues like reservation and other grievances need political solutions. The use of the armed forces and bans and restraints will only exacerbate the problems, especially in a state which has unhappy experiences of strong-arm measures and repression.