The governor issued a fire-and-shoot order on Thursday, and boroughs have imposed curfews
Published Date – Fri, 05/05/23 at 05:33pm

Image: Twitter
Hyderabad: For two days, Manipur has been reeling from violence. More than 9,000 people were evacuated as Indian troops and Assamese Rifles rushed to the state. The governor issued a sight-and-shoot order Thursday and imposed curfews in several areas. Read on to find out what’s behind the general unrest.
what happened?
Violence reportedly erupted on May 3 when the All Settlement Students’ Union of Manipur (ATSUM) staged a “tribal unity march” in the Torbung area of Churachandpur district. They are protesting the non-tribal Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. According to reports, Meiteis, who call themselves Hindus, make up about 53 percent of the state’s population, but only 10 percent of the population is scattered across the state. Meiteis also has 2/3 of the state assembly.
The parade is organized by tribes including the Nagas, Zomis and Kukis who make up about 40 percent of the state’s population, but spread over 90 percent of the territory.
District curfew
Severe unrest was reported among rival neighbourhoods, with many witnessing stone throwing, arson attacks and the destruction of homes and shops. Television channels showed images of tribes and Meiteis burning tires on roads and setting fire to some homes in parts of the state. The police fired several rounds of tear gas to control the situation.
Many people were injured and acts of arson were witnessed in places such as Bungmual, Singnat, Muallum and Mata Mualtam and some Forest Patrol offices were set on fire. Intermittent gun battles between militant groups and security forces were also reported in the mountains around the Imphal Valley.
Section 144 has been implemented in eight districts in Northeast India – the non-tribal dominated Imphal West, Kakching, Thoubal, Jiribam and Bishnupur districts and the tribal dominated Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and Tengnoupal districts. The Manipur government has suspended mobile internet across the state for the next five days.
What is causing this situation?
In late April, a mob reportedly attacked an open gymnasium that was due to be inaugurated by Chief Minister Biren Singh the next day, with violence reportedly witnessed in Churachandpur. A major cause of dissatisfaction is the notification by the state government from August 2022 that the 38 villages within the Churachandpur-Khouupum Forest Reserve are “illegal settlements” and their residents are “squatters”.
After that, the government embarked on an eviction campaign that sparked conflict. The high court recently directed the state government to consider incorporating Meitei into ST, which also led to an outcry from the tribal community.
Situation as of Friday
The Shah was reportedly keeping a close eye on the situation on Friday after opposition parties accused the BJP-led government of failure and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to restore peace in northeast India.
At least five Deputy Inspector General (DIG) rank officers and seven Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and SP rank officers from CRPF are reported to be coordinating the deployment of various security forces in the violence-hit state of Manipur.
The center has scrambled about 20 new companies of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), including CRPF and BSF, after escalating violence between the tribe and the majority Meitei community displaced more than 9,000 people. their village. In addition to the Army Column and Assamese Rifles, enlistment into the Armed Police Force is underway.
Many netizens are using their social media accounts to voice their concerns about the issue.
The situation in Manipur was so dire that the governor gave an order to shoot now.
at the same time,
– afternoon @narendramodi ,HM @AmitShah & the whole cabinet is busy with the campaign
– The media is busy reporting #ModiRoadshowUnfortunately Manipur has only 2 MPs,… pic.twitter.com/uWmhY9KNuR
— 🧬Dr. Namrata Datta (Singapore Pen), Dr. 🧫🇬🇧🦘🇮🇳 (@DrDatta01) May 5, 2023
Manipur is burning.
The wrestlers were protesting while the centrally controlled Delhi police harassed them.
But what can Modi do. He is just the PM of Karnataka. No?
— Janab Joshua (@dedcommie) May 4, 2023
I don’t think the mobile network in Manipur is working properly otherwise Modi would have stopped this violence with one phone call.
Remember the Ukrainian-Russian War?#ManipurOnFirepic.twitter.com/BNRf61pH5z
— Md Asif Khan (@imMAK02) May 4, 2023
