Tensions in India’s northeastern state of Manipur escalated on Tuesday following the deaths of 10 people in a clash with paramilitary soldiers, The Associated Press reports.
Ethnic organizations, protesting the killings, called for an 11-hour shutdown in the hill districts, effectively bringing life to a standstill.
The incident occurred on Monday near the town of Jiribam, where soldiers allegedly fired upon a group they claimed to be “armed militants.” One soldier was also injured during the heavy exchange of fire that lasted for 45 minutes.
However, the Tribal Leaders’ Forum disputed the police narrative, asserting that all those killed were local village volunteers belonging to the Hmar ethnic group. These volunteers were patrolling the area, they said, in response to a recent armed attack that claimed the life of a woman.
This latest incident comes amid a year-long cycle of ethnic violence that has gripped Manipur since May 2022. The conflict pits the majority Meitei community, predominantly Hindu and residing in the Imphal Valley, against the minority Kuki-Zo ethnic group, who inhabit the hilly regions.
The violence, which has claimed over 250 lives and displaced more than 60,000 people, is rooted in a long-standing dispute over the Meiteis’ demand for Scheduled Tribe status. This status would grant them access to various benefits, including quotas in jobs and educational institutions, and would also prevent non-Meiteis from purchasing land in their strongholds.
The Kukis, however, fiercely oppose this move, arguing that the Meiteis, being a developed community, do not warrant the status, which is reserved for economically and educationally backward tribal groups.
