Manipur accounted for 77% of violent incidents in the northeast in 2023, says MHA-OxBig News Network

In this July 24, 2023 picture Manipur police fired tear gas shells up on the protesters in Imphal. File
| Photo Credit: Ritu Raj Konwar

Manipur accounted for 77% of violent incidents that took place in northeastern India in 2023, according to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) annual report for 2023-24.

There were 243 violent incidents reported in the northeast in 2023, of which 187 were in Manipur. The Union government released ₹247.26 crore to Manipur in 2023 to operate relief camps and rehabilitate people affected by the State’s “law and order crisis.”

The MHA report published on Monday said that the rise in violent incidents in Manipur was due to the prevailing ethnic strife between Meitei and Kuki communities in the State, and the resultant increase in casualties among both civilians and security personnel in comparison to 2022.

Rising violence

In comparison to the 187 incidents reported in 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 35 civilians and seven security personnel, there were 137 insurgency-related incidents registered in the State in 2022, in which five civilians and one security force personnel lost their lives. According to the MHA’s data for 2024, until November 30, 203 violent incidents have been reported, which led to three security personnel being killed, and 28 civilian deaths.

The counter-insurgency operations in 2023 also resulted in 33 insurgents being killed, while 184 insurgents were arrested, and 49 weapons recovered. Another 80 members of insurgent outfits surrendered, with 31 weapons, the report said.

On November 29, 2023, the MHA and the Manipur government signed a peace agreement with one of the factions of the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), the oldest armed Valley-based Meitei insurgent group. The group advocates for the secession of Manipur and largely operates from Myanmar.

Central deployment

Since ethnic violence erupted in the State on May 3, 2023, more than 250 people have been killed. In just the first three months, between May 3 and July 30, 2023, as many as 3,023 First Information Reports (FIR) pertaining to rape, sexual offences against women, murder, loot, and arson were registered in the State.

“The violence resulted in numerous casualties, injuries, and incidents of arson,” the MHA said. Though the issue of violence primarily relates to the maintenance of public order which is under the domain of the State, the Union government took a series of immediate and sustained actions to handle the situation, it said.

“Immediate action was initiated by engaging with top officials of Manipur, progressively deploying additional companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) and Army/Assam Rifles columns, deploying helicopters and drones, and implementing a unified command system,” the MHA said.

On June 4, 2023, the Union government appointed a Commission of Inquiry headed by a retired High Court Chief Justice, to inquire into the causes and spread of the violence. “Through this inquiry, the sequence of events leading to and all the facts relating to such large-scale violence will be brought out besides identifying those responsible for the violence,” the MHA said.