A Perpetual Inferno

Manipur

A fresh wave of violence in Manipur’s Churachandpur district has once again exposed the deep fault lines in the state’s ethnic landscape. Clashes between the Hmar and Zomi communities erupted just two days after their leaders signed a peace agreement, underscoring the futility of diplomatic efforts in the face of long-standing animosities. The unrest, which left one dead and several injured, is only the latest flare-up in a state that has been in turmoil since May 2023, when fighting between the Kuki-Zo tribes and the dominant Meitei community plunged Manipur into chaos. Despite government interventions, curfews, and appeals for calm, violence continues to simmer.

The immediate spark for the recent clashes was the attempt by a Zomi group to hoist their community flag. Hmar groups opposed the move, arguing that it would deepen ethnic divisions rather than promote unity. The disagreement quickly turned into street battles, with mobs pelting stones, torching vehicles, and firing shots. The situation had already been volatile following an earlier attack on Hmar Inpui general secretary Richard Hmar by suspected Zomi assailants, which had led to the imposition of a curfew. That restrictions and a peace deal failed to prevent further bloodshed speaks to the fragility of the region’s security apparatus and the deep-seated mistrust among its communities.

A state of barely three million people, the divide between the valley-dwelling Meiteis who dominate the political and economic landscape and the hill tribes (comprising the Kuki-Zo, Zomi and Hmar groups) has caused decades of conflict in Manipur. While the Meiteis constitute around 53 percent of the population, they control most of the land in the Imphal Valley and have historically held disproportionate political power. The hill tribes, who together make up about 40 percent of the population, have resented their exclusion and have often agitated for greater autonomy.

The latest bout of violence stems from the broader battle for ethnic and territorial assertion. The Kukis and Zomis, despite their shared ancestry, have had a strained relationship, especially over representation in local governance. The demand for a separate administrative region for the Kuki-Zo people has deepened tensions, as different subgroups within this broad identity struggle for political dominance. The Hmar community, traditionally allied with the Kukis, has found itself increasingly at odds with the Zomis over influence in Churachandpur.

This internal fragmentation among tribal groups comes against the backdrop of a larger, more destructive war between the Kuki-Zo groups and the Meiteis. Since May 2023, over 250 people have been killed and thousands displaced in a paralyzing ethnic conflict. The violence was triggered by the Meiteis’ demand for Scheduled Tribe status, which would have given them greater access to land and government benefits, a move fiercely opposed by the Kuki-Zo tribes.

Manipur’s governance has collapsed under the weight of these crises. The resignation of Chief Minister N Biren Singh last month and the subsequent imposition of President’s Rule have left the state without an elected government. With the assembly suspended until 2027, decision-making rests with central authorities in Delhi, whose ability to navigate Manipur’s complex ethnic terrain remains in doubt. The central government has deployed security forces, imposed curfews and held high-level talks, but none of these measures have translated into lasting stability.

The six MLAs from Churachandpur and Pherzawl districts, who released a joint statement urging peace, represent a political class that appears increasingly powerless to prevent violence.

The indefinite shutdown announced by the Zomi Students’ Federation following the clashes signals that anger on the ground is far from subsiding.

The real danger is that Manipur in its current trajectory is becoming ungovernable. With ethnic militias controlling large swathes of territory, and the state machinery reduced to issuing appeals for peace, the region is in a state of de facto partition. Unless there is a political breakthrough, perhaps in the form of a federal restructuring that grants the hill tribes greater autonomy while ensuring Meitei interests are protected, Manipur’s bloodshed will continue.