Mindless killing: On Manipur, Meitei man’s killing

In multi-ethnic Manipur, the divide between communities continues to grow and spill over into violence. With people still trying to rebuild lives upended by two years of mindless hostility that began on May 3, 2023, another senseless killing has led to fresh tension. On Wednesday night, a 29-year-old Meitei man was killed by unidentified assailants. Mayanglambam Rishikant Singh was visiting his wife, who is from the Kuki-Zo community, in Churachandpur district, when the couple was picked up from home by masked gunmen. While she was allowed to walk away, Singh was shot dead, which was recorded on camera. There were demonstrations in Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley, and at Kakching, from where Singh hailed, people blocked the Indo-Myanmar Sugnu Road to seek justice for his family. According to security officials, on Wednesday night, a video of the killing was shared on WhatsApp from a Guwahati IP address with the title, ‘No peace no popular governments’. A joint action committee, set up in the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley, demanded that the case be handed over to the National Investigation Agency. The acute trust deficit among the people in a State which has been under President’s rule since last February is palpable. The faultlines between the hills, dominated by the tribes, and the Valley, home to the Meiteis, have sharpened.

Manipur, which became a State in 1972, has 33 recognised tribes. Each tribe, including the Kuki-Zo and Nagas, and several non-tribal communities such as the Meiteis have their unique identity and culture, which the political leadership has to be mindful of. Despite witnessing waves of insurgencies and ethnic conflict since 1972, people of different tribes and non-tribal communities did work and live together without fear of reprisal. That has become almost impossible now, and the killing of a Meitei in a Kuki-dominated area will only add to the mistrust. The present cycle of violence began after the Manipur High Court gave the go-ahead to the State government to grant Scheduled Tribe status to the Meiteis, an old demand. Tribal groups vociferously protested, saying this would give the Meiteis unprecedented advantages. Things soon got out of control after the Meiteis and Kuki-Zo tribes clashed. The Biren Singh government may have resigned in February 2025, but the State is still reeling under the consequences of the manner in which the Centre and State leaders handled the situation. To find permanent peace, civil society and political leaders need to continue to work tirelessly to bring all stakeholders on board and resolve underlying issues of identity and marginalisation.