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In India’s remote state of Manipur, three months of unrest has led to a deep ethnic divide. As questions are raised about why Manipur continues to remain a conflict zone, the issue has also become a political flashpoint. Anjana Pasricha has this report.]]
LanguageEnglish
Transcript/Script English((PLAYBOOK SLUG: India Manipur Violence
HEADLINE: In Remote Indian State, Festering Ethnic Conflict Poses Challenge to Modi
TEASER: Insurgencies and tribal rivalries have troubled Manipur for decades, but the ethnic divide this time runs deep.
PUBLISHED AT: Wednesday, 08/02/2023 at 07:04 EDT
BYLINE: Anjana Pasricha
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: New Delhi
VIDEOGRAPHER: P. Pallavi
PRODUCER: Jon Spier
SCRIPT EDITORS: pcd
VIDEO SOURCES: AFP, AP, Reuters, original
PLATFORMS: WEB _x_TV _x_ RADIO _x_
TRT: 3:19
VID APPROVED BY: pcd
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: ))
((INTRO))
[[In India’s remote state of Manipur, three months of unrest has led to a deep ethnic divide. As questions are raised about why Manipur continues to remain a conflict zone, the issue has also become a political flashpoint. Anjana Pasricha has this report.]]
((NARRATOR))
Violence that erupted in early May in India’s remote Manipur state between its main communities – the Meiteis, Kukis and other tribes has left deep scars.
Three months on as tensions run high, thousands of security forces patrol the region.
The cost of the conflict: 140 people dead and hundreds of homes burnt. About 60,000 people have been displaced. Many still live in refugee camps.
Among those who fled their home were the parents and family of Hoihnu Hauzel, who lives near Delhi.
((Hoihnu Hauzel, Gurugram resident, female in English))
“I just cannot imagine, they came pelted stones, bursted cylinders, it was like they were out to get us. There were babies, my two-year-old niece, my neighbor’s daughters, elderly people, they were really driven out.”
((NARRATOR))
Insurgencies and tribal rivalries have troubled Manipur for decades. But the recent ethnic conflict in the state ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party is raising questions.
((Neerja Chowdhury, political analyst, female in English))
“These fault lines have existed, that they were allowed to go out of control and the government of the state and the center cannot get a grip over the situation three months down the line, is a very worrying phenomenon.”
((NARRATOR))
The trigger for the violence was a court ruling giving the Meiteis, who are mostly Hindu, access to land and jobs reserved for Kukis and other tribal communities, who are mostly Christian.
They are now effectively separated -- Meiteis live in the valley and Kukis and other tribes in the hills. Young men from the two sides hunker down in bunkers to guard their villages. The divide runs deep.
((Hoihnu Hauzel, Gurugram resident, female in English))
“We have had historical feuds with different communities, but it was not with so much of vehement and aggravated hatred like this…..The manner in which it (attacks) was carried out, it is so hurtful, this is what is going to stay in our mind.”
((NARRATOR))
National attention turned to Manipur after a video that went viral showed two women in Manipur being paraded naked in a village. It was one of several reported incidents of violence against women as ethnic rivalry roiled the state. It prompted Prime Minister Modi to promise tough action.
((Narendra Modi, Indian Prime Minister, male in Hindi))
“What happened to the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven.”
((NARRATOR))
However, there has been no other public statement from Modi on the conflict. That has angered opposition parties, who have moved a no confidence motion in parliament against his government.
((Neerja Chowdhury, political analyst, female in English))
“As the head of government people expected him to say something about it and if nothing else to appeal for peace.”
((NARRATOR))
The government says it is ensuring security and trying to open peace talks between the two communities. But as the state remains on edge, it may not be easy to bridge the ethnic divide.
((Anjana Pasricha for VOA News, New Delhi))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateAugust 2, 2023 07:06 EDT
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
