The clashes, which several international media have also tried to make sense of, began after a joint solidarity march in the hill district of Churachandpur by the All Tribal Students Union, a civil society representative group of hill tribes.
In Manipur, the dominant community of the Meiteis is further split into Hindus and Muslims (also known as Pangals), in addition to a small percentage of Christians. The Hindus adopted Vaishnavism (a sect of Hinduism) and abandoned their Indigenous faith of Sanamahism in the 18th century, and the community has been included in various categories — General, Scheduled Castes or Other Backward Classes — depending on their place in India’s rigid caste hierarchy.
This is why tribal communities have been opposed to the Meiteis’ demand for ST status: They have already been included in two special categories. Moreover, Meiteis have major influence in the state’s politics, holding 40 out of 60 seats in the assembly, and their language, Meitei Lon, is both the official state language and the lingua franca between the diverse communities.
While the recent solidarity marches were held simultaneously in Kuki- and Naga-dominated districts, the spate of attacks has particularly targeted Kuki tribes in the valley. Nagas and their areas have been left untouched. a strategic compromise has been reached between the Nagas and the Meiteis, and the Kukis have been rendered the “other.”
Under a special provision of the Indian constitution, Meiteis are not allowed to purchase land in the hill districts of Manipur. There are limits to land ownership and resources that have been reserved for the Scheduled Tribes, and land in the hills is larger than that in the valley, where Meiteis are dominant.