Author- Rajesh Choudhary
Even though the Imphal Valley has archaeological evidence of human civilisation dating back before 33 AD, it is difficult to pinpoint the Meitei people as the source. According to linguistic and ethnic theories, the Meitei are a Tibeto-Burman people.
Up to the 18th century, the monarchs and population of Manipur adhered to the native religion known as Sanamahism.
During the 15th century, King Kyamba constructed a temple dedicated to Vishnu. Scholars debate about whether or not the king converted to Hinduism.
In the current times Meitei, Nagas, and Chin-Kuki-Mizo tribes are among the many tribal groups that call Manipur, in northeastern India, home. The majority-Hindu Meitei’s inhabit the Imphal valley, while the predominantly Christian Nagas and Kukis live in the hills.
the Kukis live in the northeastern Indian states of Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura, and Nagaland. One of the many hill tribes of India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar is the Kuki.
Kuki people are thought to be indigenous to the Mizo Hills (formerly Lushai), a mountainous area in Mizoram, India’s southeast.
The religious practices of the Kuki people are diverse. In the past, they were practitioners of animism, they believed in the presence of ancestors.
The majority ethnic group in the state of Manipur in northern India is the Meitei’s, sometimes referred to as Meetei. The Imphal Valley region of modern-day Manipur is home to the majority of Meitei’s.
Approximately 53% of Manipur’s population is of Meitei ethnicity (Census of India, 2011). The language spoken by the Meitei people is the Meitei language, sometimes referred to as the Manipuri language and a subfamily of the Tibeto-Burman language.
There are just two religions practiced by Meitei’s, and Hinduism is practiced by the vast majority of them. Approximately sixteen percent of Meitei’s adhere to the Sanamahi faith, which is named after the god Sanamahi.
Ethnic conflict has a long history in Manipur. Under their colonial masters Tribes were used to attack other tribes, discord was spread amongst communities which had coexisted for hundreds of years, The “divide and rule” strategy of the British colonial rulers fostered the seeds of conflict among various communities.
Recently, the Manipur High Court’s suggestion to the state administration to add Meitei’s to the Scheduled Tribe category served as the trigger of the current unrest in Manipur. It stirred up anxiety in many communities, Mainly among the Kukis, who fear that if the High Court order is carried out, they will lose their land and jobs as a result of possible competition from the Meitei population. They worry that the Kukis, who have had exclusive rights to land in the hills up until now, would be bought out by the Meitei group.
There is unrest amongst kuki community around the introduction of
(NRC) national register of citizens, as the government plans to identify and deport illegal immigrants from the state, They fear this rule will be used to exploit their community and drive them away from from the hills.
Since the 1990s manipur has only had meitei chief ministers, The metes enjoy majoritarianism as they have the largest share in legislative assembly, Due to granting of SC ST status to meitei ,the kuki fear their cultural identity is under threat.
The meitei also accuse kukis of the rampant drug trade happening in the state, poppy cultivators in the hills have lead to formation of organised criminal gangs who indulge in drug trade across borders of myanmar. Resulting into increase in criminal activities in the hills and imphal valley.
The meitei expressed their concern that they comprise of the majority population but have access to only 10% land of the state, The rest is occupied by kuki and nagas. Meitei feel the SC ST status being enjoyed by the other tribes is leading to unemployment of their youth.
clashes of violence between kuki and meitei have been reported, leading to huge casualties, people displaced, rampant looting and robberies.
Relief camps have been set up to help people who got displaced by violent protests.
Despite several directions by the supreme court of India to take action, The central government has failed to address the issue effectively. The conflict continues till day.
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