Manipur: The Great Exodus

As Manipur still burns due to ongoing ethnic clashes, the situation in the state has resulted in various far-reaching consequences in the neighboring northeastern states including Assam.

The conflict in Manipur broke out between the Meitei and Kuki communities on May 3 this year. The Meiteis are a majority tribe living in the Imphal valley and the Kukis are the people living in the hill areas of the state. The scuffle erupted post a rally organized by the All Tribal Students’ Union Manipur in demand of Scheduled Tribe status to the valley-based Meitei community. The clashes which began near the border areas have killed over 180 people (according to official sources), however unofficially the death toll is much higher.

Amid the violence in the northeastern state, the Peace Accord MNF Returnees' Association (PAMRA) issued a 24-hour ultimatum to Meiteis residing in Mizoram to depart from the state as soon as possible for their own safety. Right after this, the Assam Government made arrangements for providing humanitarian aid and security to the Meiteis in Cachar district. Not only this, the Cachar district administration also took measures to shift the affected people to Manipur.

An immediate effect of the unrest in Manipur was the exodus of people to other northeastern states, mostly to Assam. It is worth mentioning here that, Manipur came under the Inner Line Permit (ILP) rule after Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram. However, Assam and Meghalaya are still asking for it. With this being the prime reason, Assam has recently witnessed a huge influx of people from other northeastern states, mostly Manipur recently. Many people from Manipur and also other northeastern states are currently residing in various parts of Assam for educational purposes or seeking employment. In recent times, most of the hostels, PGs, and rented rooms in Guwahati and other parts of the state are seen filed with students or working women from tribal communities of other states. However, when we approached senior officials regarding the issue, they refrained from commenting on it. Therefore, we do not have official data which could provide the exact figures.

If we look into the background of Manipur, in 2022, the state government passed an order setting aside previous orders from 1970s and 1980s that excluded villages from proposed Churachandpur-Khoupum Protected Forest. This placed 38 ancestral villages in Churachandpur in the encroaching category. In the present year, the state government started to expel illegal immigrants from Myanmar from the state-owned forest reserves. An eviction drive was started in those areas declaring the forest dwellers as encroachers and they were identified as anti-tribal.

A system similar to that in Delhi which hears to grievances and needs of people from outside the state is the need of the hour in Assam also. This kind of a system will help in maintaining a database about the number of people coming in to Assam from neighboring states. This also stresses on the need for ILP in Assam. The ILP requires all outsiders, including Indian citizens from other states, intending to visit or stay there to obtain permits that mention their duration of stay and places of visit.

Also Read: Manipur Violence: 42 SITs To Probe Cases Not Given To CBI