Death toll in Manipur ethnic violence rises to 54

The violence over tribal status has spread across the state, forcing around thousands to flee their homes.

In this picture taken on May 4, 2023, smoke billows from a vehicle allegedly burned by the Meitei community tribals protesting to demand inclusion under the Scheduled Tribe category, in Imphal the capital of India's Manipur state. (AFP)Show less

Ethnic and sectarian violence that rocked India’s north-eastern Manipur state this week has taken the lives of at least 54 people, the Press Trust of India news agency reported on Saturday.

The state is under a round-the-clock communication and security lockdown following widespread arson and attacks by Christian-majority Kukis and Hindu-majority Meitei, the two dominant ethnic groups in the remote hilly region.

Police stations were attacked and their armouries looted by mobs, and dozens of places of worship are reported to have been destroyed since the violence began in late April.

Authorities have sent thousands of soldiers and riot police to the state and empowered security forces to “shoot at sight” to quell the unrest, which has forced thousands of people to flee their homes.

The Press Trust of India said the bodies of 23 people killed in the violence were kept at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal West district.

At least 16 bodies were kept in a mortuary at a government hospital in Churachandpur district and 15 at Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences.

Authorities have refused to comment on the fatalities toll, citing “security reasons” as thousands continue to flee violence-hit areas.

Among the dead were four people who were shot while allegedly hampering the evacuation of civilians late on Friday, media reports said, with incidents of ethnic groups attacking each other continuing across the state.

Two soldiers were injured in two separate incidents in the Kuki-dominated Churachandpur district, where violence first broke out on April 26 over the state government’s plan to carry out a land survey in the forest region.

While the state’s forest is a protected zone for tribes such as the Kukis, the government has proposed listing the Meitei community as a tribe, triggering resentment.

The violence flared up again following street clashes on May 3 after a rally organised by the Indigenous Tribe Leaders Forum, leading to several fires being lit in Churachandpur, officials said.

Security personnel fire tear gas during a protest in Imphal by Manipur's Meitei community on May 4. AFP

About 34 ethnic tribes, roughly 40 per cent population, have traditionally inhabited the hilly forested areas that comprise 90 per cent of the land in Manipur, which is governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.

The Meiteis, who dominate the valley areas, have long demanded that they be listed as a tribe to be entitled to the land rights and job benefits given to the other tribal groups.

But the other tribes are against such a move, claiming that the Meiteis already dominate the demographic, political and social landscape of the state.