Manipur: Smooth Elections AMIDTS Ethnic Violence
STORIES, ANALYSES, EXPERT VIEWS

Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level meeting Monday to review the “current status” of the Manipur ethnic conflict and the “way forward” without the presence of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh. Underscoring the importance of a coordinated approach to resolve the ongoing conflict, Shah said the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will talk to both the groups, Meiteis and Kuki-Zo, “to bridge the ethnic divide at the earliest.”
The meeting comes in the wake of fresh violence in the Jiribam district last week that had remained unaffected by ethnic strife so far. Even as the meeting was underway, hundreds of vehicles carrying essential commodities to the Imphal valley were stuck along National Highway-37, which connects Assam to Manipur, due to a blockade imposed by Kuki-Zo Village Volunteers in Jiribam.
The BJP-ruled State has been affected by ethnic violence between the tribal Kuki-Zo people and the majority Meitei community since May 3, 2023. More than 50,000 people have been displaced and at least 221 people have been killed so far. More than 4,500 weapons were looted from police armouries with only one-third of them recovered. Cases of extortions and abductions have increased, particularly in the valley areas dominated by the Meiteis. The Kuki-Zo people who live in the hill districts have been demanding a separate administration.
People slowly losing hope
Over a year since ethnic violence erupted in Manipur, Hoihnu Hauzel (independent journalist) writes “people are slowly losing hope. Thousands who fled their homes fear they may never return, as one of India’s longest-running conflicts drags on with no resolution in sight. Unlike other states, like Gujarat in 2002, where violence between communities was swiftly contained, the situation in Manipur continues to be volatile….”
In May 2023, simmering tensions between Manipur’s Kuki-Zo-Hmar and Meitei communities boiled over into violent clashes. Fearing for their safety, people of the Kuki-Zo-Hmar community fled back to the hills, while Meiteis in the hill districts evacuated to the valley. But even as they ran, leaving everything behind, “they clung to the hope that their displacement would be temporary. Yet, as time passes, the division between the hills and the valley only becomes more pronounced and lawlessness prevails.”
Just last Saturday, alleged militants set fire to two police outposts and dozens of houses in Jiribam district, with the flare-up of tensions causing some 600 people to seek refuge in Assam’s Cachar.
The crumbling of trust in the system, writes Hauzel “is now palpable. There’s a profound sense of betrayal that the state has failed to safeguard its citizens within their own homes…..In the wake of the grand election season that swept across India, the central question has become whether the crisis in this small but strategically important border state will finally be tackled seriously."
Danger of spillover effect on neighbouring states
Highlighting the apathy, Hauzel writes “more than 60,000 people in Manipur are internally displaced in their own country. Many are stuck in relief camps with not even a minimum subsistence allowance, while others continue to survive on the love and compassion of others—who, in turn, are running out of resources and reserves.”
The prolonged crisis in Manipur “is bound to have a spillover effect on neighbouring states….United efforts from Northeast leaders could have significantly alleviated the situation. However, their lack of unity has resulted in a missed opportunity to leverage their collective strength. It’s crucial for them to recognise that one state’s problems resonate throughout the entire region. Manipur’s plight alone is potent enough to dent the brand image of the entire Northeast.”
Smooth elections
Despite ongoing violence, the general elections unfolded relatively smoothly in Manipur, bar the odd boycott call. But overall, Hauzel writes “the elections were a poignant commentary on the unrest—a subtle reminder that if there had been enough political will, the violence could be curtailed. Similarly, the urgency to vote trumped people’s other grievances, with the two Lok Sabha seats recording over 70 per cent voter turnout.
“This was a rare moment of unity for the warring Meitei and Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities, as they together voted out the party that stood a silent spectator to their miseries, with the Congress winning both seats.”
In the end, “the people of Manipur sent a powerful message—that even amid turmoil and strife, the voice of the people cannot be silenced and that they have a collective wisdom regarding political representation.”
Nevertheless, there’s a long road ahead before lasting peace and stability can be achieved.