A 51-year-old man from the Hmar community that belongs to the Meiteis was killed during the fights on the 18th March. Several people were also injured in Churachandpur district of Manipur, where most of the Kuki-Zo tribal people reside.

Violence followed when the Manipur High Court passed an order in April 2023, recommending Scheduled Tribe status for the dominant Meitei community. The Supreme Court of India criticized the decision when fights erupted. 

The Kukis’s argued that such a status for the Meitei would strengthen their already strong influence on government and society, allowing them to buy land or settle in predominantly Kuki areas. Meiteis reside in the Imphal Valley, near the capital city. Kukis live in the surrounding hills.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party was in charge of state government during the fights. Manipur’s Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who is a member of the  Meitei community, resigned on the 13th February as a result of the violence. The federal government imposed president’s rule in the state.

Approximately 400 places of worship were set on fire, several other properties were looted and women faced daily atrocities, including rape. 250 people were killed in the fights and more than 50,000 – the majority Christians – were displaced, forced to live in shelters. Members of the Kuki community living in refugee camps had to be moved to safer locations. 

Six legislators from the suspended legislative assembly and tribal organizations issued a joint statement, appealing for peace. The statement reads: “Let us remember that we have been going through the most critical and difficult times in our history, and we have been fighting for our rights shoulder to shoulder as one. Let us all invoke the Christian values of forgiveness to resolve the ongoing misunderstanding among us in the interest of our community and for posterity.”

Source: https://www.persecution.org