Manipur
is burning. The small Indian state, tucked away in the country’s
northeast and bordering Myanmar, has been the site of deadly violence
between its two biggest ethnic groups, the majority Meitei and the Kuki
minority.
Since May, more than 130 Manipuris have been killed and tens of
thousands have been displaced. Churches and temples have been destroyed.
India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, remained silent until a shocking
video emerged last month of two Kuki women paraded naked by Meitei men.
Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is currently in power in the state,
led by a Meitei politician, Chief Minister Biren Singh.
The violence in Manipur exhibits troubling signs not only of ethnic
conflict but also of state failure, with local police seemingly unable
to stop the violence. Despite the conflict’s shocking nature, it has
gotten relatively little media attention.
Speaking on FP Live this week, journalist Barkha Dutt described
scenes she witnessed in Manipur. “Women who were once paddy farmers are
today patrolling their villages armed with guns,” she said. “Every
survivor and every family of victims that I met on the ground in Manipur
said the police were there but did nothing.”
Sushant Singh, a former Indian Army officer, pointed out that India
has had to reroute forces along its border with China to Manipur. “This
move weakens India’s defensive posture against China,” he said. “The
internal strife in Manipur … will consume a lot of resources of the
Indian Armed Forces, making it more and more difficult for them to focus
on the challenge coming from China.”