Manipur Crisis: Why ST Status Is The Way Forward For Meiteis | India News

By Dr R Okay Nimai, IAS (Retd)

Meitei, the tribe that settled within the central valley of Manipur has been squeezed from all sides. Without permission they can not purchase land within the hill areas which represent about 90% of the geographical areas of the state whereas the ten% of central valley is open to all regardless of the neighborhood. Though Meiteis possess land in some flatlands throughout the hill districts like Churachandpur, Moreh, and so forth. Thus, the Meiteis had been demanding safety underneath the Constitution which is principally Scheduled Tribe (ST) standing. 

When the Meitei-Kuki battle began on May 3, 2023 the trigger was ascribed to the problem of a writ of mandamus by the High Court of Manipur to the Government of Manipur to ship a advice for inclusion of Meitei among the many listing of Scheduled Tribe (ST) in response to a letter from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs which was pending for a few decade. Unfortunately, solely the primary sentence of the operative half was quoted however the subsequent sentences had been conveniently averted. This led to the Solidarity March organised by the All Tribal Students’ Union Manipur on May 3. Elsewhere it ended peacefully aside from Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and Moreh and some different locations dominated by the Kuki-Chin the place Meitei homes had been vandalised and burnt and the inmates pressured to flee for his or her lives; ethnic cleaning of the Meitei. This led to retaliation and the battle continues even after the passage of greater than six months.

The Meitei felt that as a neighborhood they possess all the standards laid down by the Lokur Committee for inclusion within the ST List. This was opposed by the prevailing STs of the state. In the previous Meitei with a false sense of superiority had not lobbied for inclusion. But now the demand for inclusion is changing into stringent. The motion has been peaceable until now with no violence. Many of these opposing the inclusion of the Meitei from throughout the neighborhood then had maybe not learn Sloka 12 and 13 of Chapter 214 of Arjunavanavasa of the Adi Parva of the vital model of Mahabharata which reads as “Crossing the kingdom of the Kalingas, the mighty one (Arjuna) proceeded, seeing on his way diverse countries and sacred spots and diverse delightful mansions and houses. Beholding the Mahendra Mountain adorned with the ascetics, he went to Manipura proceeding along the sea shore”; which signifies that the town of Manipura can solely be situated by the ocean shore. Thus the Manipura of Mahabharata can by no means be the current Manipur because the latter doesn’t lie close to the seashore and the current identify Manipur got here solely within the seventeenth century. 

The current STs of Manipur didn’t oppose the inclusion of different tribes of different states within the listing. Therefore, one can infer that they’re involved in regards to the reservation quota and that the Meitei will usurp land within the hill areas. Though technically, current ST don’t have locus standii on the inclusion of latest tribes within the listing, their concern can’t be wished away. After the state authorities recommends after analyzing whether or not a tribe fulfils the standards set down by the Lokur Committee, it’s for the Centre to resolve and place a Bill earlier than the Parliament To redress the priority, the reservation quota because it exists at the moment within the state might proceed for the current ST and sub-quota could also be supplied in order that one neighborhood don’t garner main share. One can take into account 45% for the Naga, 45% for the Kuki-Chin and 10% for these smaller communities which neither belong to each. Meitei are plain-dwelling tribe and they won’t migrate en masse to the hills even when allowed. They will desire to remain within the valleys, together with these within the hills. Hence to allay the priority of the hill brethren, the variety of Meitei and the dimensions of their plot will be restricted. The main concern expressed is just not the settlement of Meitei per se however the worry of the acquisition of huge tracts of hill areas by moneyed individuals. However, the Valley Forest Reserve declared by the State Darbar in 1932, excluding these subsequently declared as Reserved or Protected Forest have to be open freely to the Meitei. These two steps ought to allay the priority of the current ST. The delusion that some Naga and Meitei got here from the identical inventory is contradicted if the Meitei don’t develop into ST.

Meiteis are at a crossroads as as soon as the 2019 Bill pending earlier than the Rajya Sabha is handed, it is going to be the one indigene of the area with out an ST tag. They will face severe issues as soon as the rail line is absolutely purposeful because the Inner Line Permit on which nice hope was held was like a sieve in screening migrants. The Meitei with out a Constitutional safeguard, of which the ST tag is the likeliest, with a small inhabitants of about 1.3-1.4 million in Manipur simply can’t survive as a neighborhood. 

The state authorities should look at the matter vis a vis the standards laid down and expeditiously make suggestions earlier than the motion turns violent. It ought to make sure that affordable calls for are given with out violence dispelling the notion that calls for with violence solely make the federal government take into account it. The endurance although appears to be working out. 

(Dr. R.Okay.Nimai is a former IAS officer of the Manipur Tripura cadre. The views expressed listed here are solely of the writer.)