Meitei community

Meitei refugees queue along to board a paramilitary truck at a transit point after being evacuated from the violence that hit Churachandpur, near Imphal in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur on May 9, 2023. More than 70 people, mostly Christians, have been killed in the hilly border region in clashes between the majority Meitei people, who are mostly Hindus, and the mainly Christian Kuki tribe. Thousands of troops have been deployed to restore order, while around 23,000 residents have fled their homes for the safety of ad-hoc army-run camps for the displaced. | ARUN SANKAR/AFP via Getty Images NEW DELHI — A surge of ethnic violence with a growing religious component in northeastern India led to the killing on Friday of a woman in her church building and two other Christians, sources said. The attack by ethnic Meitei with automatic rifles in Manipur state’s Khoken village, on the boundary between Kangpokpi and Imphal West districts, killed the ethnic Kuki Christian woman in her 60s, Domkhohoi Haokip, as she prayed, according to the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF). “They have no regard for women and children,” Ginza Vualzong, spokesperson for the ITLF, told Morning Star News. “A woman was killed inside the church while she was praying, that’s how merciless they are.” Two other ethnic Kuki Christians, Jangpao Touthang and Khaimang Guite, were killed in the attack in which the armed Meitei arrived in the vehicles and uniforms of the Indian army, according to an I...

The authorities of Manipur are currently on high alert as Section 144 has been invoked and “shoot at sight” orders have been given in the disturbed areas of the state as various communities are clashing with each other, leading to uncontrollable violence. According to media reports, as many as 23,000 people from a tribe have been displaced due to the violence of Manipur, which has erupted due to the clashes between the Meitei community and the Naga and Kuki communities in the state. While the authorities have not given an exact death toll, local media reports claim that there are dozens dead and hundreds injured in the ethnic community violence in Manipur. Here is all you need to know about the tribes that are at war. Who are the Meitei community of Manipur? The Meitei community of Manipur is the dominant community in the state and is mostly located in the city of Imphal. The community consists of Hindus, and forms more than 50 percent of the entire population of Manipur, according to the 2011 census data of India. The people of the Meitei community are mostly settled in the plains of Manipur, but because of their dense population, certain sections of the community are also found in the hills. The Meitei community is currently clashing with the Naga and Kuki tribe in Manipur. The Naga and Kuki tribes make up about 40 percent of the population of Manipur, and fall into the ‘Scheduled Tribes’ category, enjoying certain benefits such as land-owning rights in the hills and for...

Agartala, Jun 12 (PTI) The Metei community of Tripura has appealed for peace in strife-torn Manipur and opposed any move to bifurcate the state on ethnic lines. The Puthiba Welfare and Cultural Society and All Tripura Meitei Community sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to restore peace in the violence-hit state. "We are worried over the developments in Manipur since May 3. We strongly oppose any move to bifurcate the state on ethnic lines. Peace must prevail for its overall development," Dipak Kumar Singh, a leader of the Pothiba Welfare and Cultural Society, said on Monday. The two outfits brought out a candle-light vigil in Agartala on Sunday. Students from Manipur studying in various colleges in Agartala also took part in the programme. At least 100 people lost their lives and 310 others were injured in the ethnic violence in Manipur that broke out a month ago. Clashes first broke out on May 3 after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals Nagas and Kukis constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts. Following the violence, several tribal MLAs of Manipur have demanded the bifurcation of the state along ethnic lines, which has been opposed by Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

Disarm Meiteis only after cancelling pact with Kuki groups, says Meitei organisations These groups which staged demonstration in Delhi say the process for drawing up National Register of Citizens has become imperative now more than ever June 04, 2023 07:55 pm | Updated June 05, 2023 06:32 pm IST - New Delhi Amid Pressing on with the demand to cancel the SoO pact, a tripartite agreement between the State government, the Centre and the insurgent groups (out of which the State government withdrew earlier this year), the Meitei groups also demanded that the process for drawing up the National Register of Citizens (NRC) had become imperative now more than ever. Also read: This comes even as security forces in Manipur struggle to get back the thousands of weapons looted from police armouries in the Imphal Valley area in the ongoing ethnic conflict between the dominant Meiteis and Scheduled Tribe Kuki-Zomi people In Sunday’s protest, the Meitei groups had gathered under the banner of the Manipur Coordination Committee (Delhi), which included several CSOs like Meitei Heritage Organisation and some student associations as well. The rally saw several families and students dressed in white, raising slogans of “Long Live Manipur”, and condemning the violence, asking for restoration of peace in their home State. “Many people are homeless, the terror keeps us all sleepless. I don’t know who is right or wrong, but we can’t give away our arms as we want to live,” said Mani Yumnan, a 24-ye...

A vehicle burned during ethnic violence in Imphal, Manipur, India, May 4, 2023. © 2023 AFP via Getty images (New York) – Violent clashes, largely between the ethnic Meitei and Kuki communities, have left at least “The violence in Manipur state since early May has left communities devastated, and it’s crucial for the government to restore order in a rights-respecting manner and hold to account those responsible for abuses,” said The violence in Manipur erupted on May 3, after thousands of people from The The protest, which included Kukis, one of the larger tribal communities in Manipur, who live primarily in hill areas, turned violent with clashes between various ethnic and religious groups. Some “The BJP is playing divisive politics in the state because of its own ideology,” one activist told Human Rights Watch. “Even Christian Meiteis are being targeted.” The authorities Following the recent violence, 10 Kuki legislators–including 8 from the BJP– The Christians Goodwill Council in Churachandpur district in Manipur reported that over The Manipur violence prompted The Manipur government’s complete internet blackout has severely hindered information gathering and reporting by the media and civil society groups. The Human Rights Watch has repeatedly urged the authorities throughout India to end broad, indiscriminate internet shutdowns. The shutdowns undermine a range of fundamental rights including to receive and impart information, express views on political issues, contact ...