- Fresh Violence Erupts in Manipur, Three Killed and Houses Set Ablaze
- Violence Triggered by Court Order on Economic Benefits and Quotas
- Over 180 Killed and Thousands Displaced Since May Outbreak
As sporadic violence and killings persist in the remote northeastern state of Manipur, police officials reported late Friday that three people were killed and houses were set on fire in fresh violence in the state.
A police spokesperson stated that the three victims were members of the predominant Metei community in the state’s Bishnupur district.
The months-long outbreak of violence began on May 3, when a court ordered the state to consider extending to the majority Meitei population special economic benefits and quotas in government employment and education that were previously reserved for the Kuki tribe.
A representative of a Kuki civil society organization stated that the organization had no immediate comment on the recent murders.
Manipur, a 3.2 million-person state bordering Myanmar, has seen 180 dead and thousands more fleeing since the turmoil began.
On May 3, hill tribe members, including the Kuki, protested the potential extent of their benefits to the dominant Meiteis.
Meiteis make up half of Manipur’s population, and extending them limited affirmative action quotas would allow them access to education and government positions reserved for Kukis and other groups.
Myanmar and Manipur share a 400-kilometer border, and a 2021 coup in Myanmar drove thousands of migrants into India.
Kukis share ancestry with Myanmar’s Chin community, and Meiteis feared the advent of refugees would outnumber them.
Civil society organisations from the Meitei and Kuki communities report hundreds of injuries and homelessness.
