MANIPUR IS BURNING (Violations on the rights of the civilians during the ongoing Manipur crisis)
Manipur is a beautiful state in India. It is part of the seven sisters of the North-eastern states. Recently, the state of Manipur has been in an uproar on social media with the pictures of the injured and dead taking over the news in the armed attacks.
The three tribes of Manipur, Meitei, Kuki, and Naga are up in arms with each other. The Meitei tribe has 10% land control and a political majority. They are mostly Hindus constituting a little over half the state’s population. When the police provided them with weapons no action was taken against them. They are not considered to be a tribal group as they live in the ‘mainland’ of Manipur. The Kuki tribe and Naga tribe on the other hand, consisting of up to 16 percent of the local population have 90% land control including the forest area. They follow Christianism. They were given the status of Scheduled Tribe (ST) by the Manipur High Court which gave them some privileges that the Meitei tribe did not have.
The Meitei have been claiming for a long time that the Kukis have had unfair privileges due to their tribal status. One such privilege is that the Kukis are allowed to buy land in the mainland area, but the Meiteis are not allowed to buy land in the forest area as it belongs to STs. Therefore, they have been trying to get the same (ST) status as the Kuki tribe. This is when the uproar started between the Kuki and Meitei community because the Meitei tribe already has a majority in politics. 40 out of 60 MLA1 seats in the state belong to them. The Kuki tribe believes that giving them a ST status will increase their domination power and lead them to overtake their forest lands.
This research paper focuses on the issues in Manipur along with the human rights violations of the indigenous people as well as the citizens of Manipur. It also sheds light on the culpability of the Indian government on the same issue.
It all started as the first attack took place on 3rd May 2023. Before the attack in May also small events had started taking place but the big blow started from 3rd May. On June 29th, 2023, violent protests broke out after an attack. Two days prior to this a church was also looted. More than 140 people have been killed and almost 50,000 have been displaced in the last two months. The angry mob groups have burned down homes, churches, and offices.2
Manipur as a state has a long history of dealing with secessionist insurgencies where both the military and governmental security services have seriously violated human rights. Long standing ethnic conflicts have also turned into violence. Seeing the majority tribal groups rebel and fight each other the minorities have also joined their sides. The Meitei community has blamed the Kuki tribe for growing illegal opium on their lands in the forest which has led to an increase of drug problems in Manipur. Since Manipur’s infrastructure is not that developed the drugs grown by the Kukis just adds on to their already existing problems. It is also said that they illegally smuggle arms from China and Myanmar which they later use for violence.
Manipur has no railway connections therefore all the major transportations takes place through roadways. There are two main highways connecting them to India. Due to inner conflicts going on in Manipur the highway was blocked for 52 days preventing things like food and medication from coming into the state. The internet was down, curfews were extended and to add on to that food supplies also slowed down.
INDIAN GOVERNMENTS’ CULPABILITY
The government of Manipur led by N. Biren Singh; a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promotes Hinduism in the state instead of ensuring security for all its communities. The government’s duty is to play an impartial role as a mediator which is not the case in Manipur. This unfairness from the government’s side has reduced the faith of the people in higher authorities. The Singh government has created ethnic divides by making policy decisions affecting the Kuki tribes’ land. The Government of India on the other hand is forcing a military to a political struggle. Many security legislations like, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA), Prevention of Seditious Meetings Act 1911, Official Secrets Act 1923, (iv) Maintenance of Public Order Act 1947, Punjab Security of the State Act 1953, National Security Act, 1980 (NSA), Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002 (POTA), Code of Criminal Procedures (Manipur Amendment) Act 1983, and National Investigation Agency Act 2008 (NIA) were introduced.
In 1960, when the UN General Assembly issued Resolution 1514 [XV], which was enacted on December 14, affirming the right of the peoples to self-determination, India was a key player. The fundamental right to self-determination of the Manipuri people was, however, purposefully denied by India by adding reservations to the common Article 1 of the two international covenants, ICCPR and ICESCR. According to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, India continues to label Manipur’s non-state organizations that call for self-determination as “terrorists.”3
Clearly the Indian government has failed miserably in implementing recommendations from the first Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
The Manipur government restricted internet services in the state for almost a month violating the citizens Right to Accessibility, ‘everyone has an equal right to access and use a secure and open internet.4’ By denying people a platform to express themselves, it also violates their right to freedom of expression.
The Right To Satisfaction Of Basic Needs: This right demands that ‘people have access to basic, essential goods and services: adequate food, clothing, shelter, health care, education, public utilities, water, etc.’ according to Consumer Bill of Rights.5 This right was violated when the necessities were not allowed to cross the highway and reach the people on time. According to the Declaration of Human Rights Article 28, Right to live in peace. ‘We all have the right to live in a peaceful and orderly society so that these rights and freedoms can be protected, and these rights can be enjoyed in all other countries around the world.6’ This right was violated by causing nuisance, burning down of houses, churches, beheading people, etc.
Article 2 of the Indian Constitution and Article 3 of the Declaration of Human Rights gives every human being the inherent right to life. This is a fundamental right in India. This right was violated when people were brutally beheaded and shot. The right to live was taken away from the people who lost their lives.
Right to live with dignity is another fundamental right given to every Indian citizen. This right was also violated when on May 4th two women were paraded naked by an unknown armed mob. The video went viral and a First Information report (FIR) was registered. The police on 18th May said that arrests will be made at the earliest but there are no updates.7
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”8 This right is violated as the three main tribes are fighting amongst themselves. Initially the tribes were brought by the Britishers to protect Manipur from their neighboring countries but now they are fighting amongst themselves for power of each of their communities.
Article 13 (i) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each State.”9 This right is taken away from the people of Manipur as the curfews still persist and people do not have the freedom of movement.
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ RIGHTS VIOLATED
Article 1 of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states that “Indigenous peoples have the right to the full enjoyment, as a collective or as individuals, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms as recognized in the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international human rights law.”10 This right was violated when the people belonging to the Kuki tribe were shot.
Article 8 (2) (b) “Any action which has the aim or effect of dispossessing them of their lands, territories or resources.” 11This was violated when the State itself wanted to give the Meitei community a ST status even though they knew that this decision would affect the Kukis land rights. It would also make it difficult for them to get jobs and good education under their reservations.
Article 10 of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states that “Indigenous peoples shall not be forcibly removed from their lands or territories. No relocation shall take place without the free, prior and informed consent of the indigenous peoples concerned and after agreement on just and fair compensation and, where possible, with the option of return.”12 This right was violated when more than 50,000 people were forced to leave their homes to save their lives as it is not safe anymore. Article 19 of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states that “States shall consult and cooperate in good faith with the indigenous peoples concerned through their own representative institutions in order to obtain their free, prior and informed consent be- fore adopting and implementing legislative or administrative measures that may affect them.”13 This right was violated when the High Court of Manipur did not consider that by giving the Meitei community the ST status would affect the tribes living in the forests and their lands.
WHY IS THERE NO SOLUTION TILL NOW?
The authorities are trying to ask for calm restraints from all sides, but the faith has faded which is making these requests go unheard. The distrust in the government will just make the violence last longer. Human Rights Watch on 30th May 2023 said that the Indian authorities should work with the local community leaders and try to restore peace. The situation in Manipur is very serious and caught the attention of the Indian government and media. As a result, our honorable Home Minister and Mr. Rahul Gandhi (representing Congress) went to visit the people of Manipur to solve their queries, but nothing changed from that. Even though they talked to the people about the problems they were facing no steps have been taken to reduce the sufferings.
People are starting to lose faith in their government which is leading to more acts of rebellion and violence. Since the tribes needed weapons to fight for their land and power 4,000 plus arms and ammunition was stolen from the army infirmary. These included grenades, AK 47, M-16, etc. Amit Shah (Home Minister) on national television requested these groups to return these weapons but only 18 percent of the stolen ammunition was returned.14
The government instead of looking at the situation as a political issue is looking at it like an act of rebellion and deploying military forces. The military officials were even given the order to shoot at sight if things got out of hand. They are using the approach of fighting fire with fire which has not shown any progressive results but have deteriorated the situation further. The government is supposed to be ‘of the people, by the people and for the people’.15 They need to be unbiased and fair to everyone.
CONCLUSION
India is the largest democracy in the world. The governments’ duty is to work in the best interest of its people. As it can be clearly seen from the discussion above that the government in Manipur is not really trying to resolve the matter between the tribes and provide its residents with a safe and peaceful environment to live in. Instead, due to international and media pressure they are just deploying armed forces and extending curfews further violating their fundamental rights. Since the government in Manipur is formed by BJP, they are favoring the Meitei community and not even trying to understand the situation of the other tribal groups.
According to me, the only way this conflict can be resolved is by having a productive conversation with all the leaders of the involved communities to reach a solution that can benefit everyone and make the condition a little better. Listening to their demands and implementing it will make the people trust their government again which may reduce the rebellious acts.
Many people in Manipur do not believe in doing things in a violent way. They just want to forgive and forget so that they can move forward and have peace again. Nobody feels safe inside or outside their houses because they could be shot or beheaded any second. The constant fear of life is making people leave their homes and move away. The current situation of Manipur is no less than a situation of a Civil war. There are trenches in the middle of cities. All the three tribes are fighting against each other for each of their communities’ dominations.
The people living in Manipur have been waiting for their justice for a very long time and our government has been of no help to them either. As rightly said by Martin Luther King Jr. “Justice delayed is justice denied.” The state of Manipur needs its long pending justice and soon. In conclusion, violence is not the answer to everything. Sometimes one needs to see things from a different perspective to get a solution.
- Human Rights Watch. (2023). Ethnic Violence Spirals in India’s Northeastern Manipur State. [online] Available at: https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/06/30/ethnic-violence-spirals-indias-northeastern-manipur-state#:~:text=Over%20100%20people%20have%20been [Accessed 17 Jul. 2023].
↩︎ - Id ↩︎
- India STATUS OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN MANIPUR North-Eastern Region HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL United Nations INDIA. (2011). Available at: https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/lib-docs/HRBodies/UPR/Documents/session13/IN/JS13_UPR_IND_S13_2012_JointSubmission13_E.pdf [Accessed 18 Jul. 2023].
↩︎ - Internet Rights & Principles Coalition. (n.d.). Available at: https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Issues/Opinion/Communications/InternetPrinciplesAndRightsCoalition.pdf [Accessed 19 Jul. 2023].
↩︎ - Harris, C. (2019). Basic Rights of Consumers | Consumer Rights | Matt Osborne Blog. [online] Matthew R. Osborne, PC. Available at: https://www.mrosbornelaw.com/8-basic-rights-of-consumers/.
↩︎ - FairPlanet (n.d.). 28: Right to live in peace. [online] FairPlanet. Available at: https://www.fairplanet.org/universal-declaration-of-human-rights/article-28-right-to-live-in-peace/#:~:text=Article%2028 [Accessed 19 Jul. 2023]. ↩︎
- Singh, V. (2023b). Women face sexual violence in Manipur, video clip surfaces. The Hindu. [online] 19 Jul. Available at: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/video-of-sexual-violence-on-women-in-manipur-emerges-police-promise-arrests-soon/article67098429.ece [Accessed 20 Jul. 2023].
↩︎ - United Nations (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. New York: United Nations. ↩︎
- Id. ↩︎
- United Nations (2007). United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Human Rights Quarterly, [online] 33(3). doi:https://doi.org/10.1353/hrq.2011.0040.
↩︎ - Id. ↩︎
- United Nations (2007). United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Human Rights Quarterly, [online] 33(3). doi:https://doi.org/10.1353/hrq.2011.0040.
↩︎ - Id.
↩︎ - www.youtube.com. (2023). Manipur violence will HURT India | Manipur situation explained by Abhi and Niyu. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELKNL9oNv5g [Accessed 18 Jul. 2023].
↩︎ - Lincoln, A., Boritt, G.S. and And, F. (1996). Of the people, by the people, for the people and other quotations from Abraham Lincoln. New York: Columbia University Press.
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