(CNN) Violence swept the northeast Indian state of Manipur as inter-ethnic riots torched buildings and littered the streets with charred vehicles, leaving at least 58 dead and tens of thousands more homeless.
Officials’ repeated pleas for calm proved futile, prompting the Indian Army to deploy troops to restore law and order, and authorities to block internet access for the state’s approximately 3 million residents.
Manipur residents say there has been a breakdown in law and order. The state government, led by India’s Hindu nationalist ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), last week issued “on sight orders” for “extreme” cases, while the army said on Sunday it had “significantly improved” its surveillance. Condition.
Authorities say they are bringing the situation under control, but as the unrest enters its second week, the situation remains hostile in a complex, ethnically diverse and unequal region that has grappled with decades of insurgency, violence and exclusion.
Here’s what you need to know.
People are evacuated to a temporary shelter by the Indian army as they flee ethnic violence that ravaged the northeast Indian state of Manipur near Imphal on May 7, 2023.
Where is Manipur located?
Manipur, a lush, hilly state bordering Myanmar, has had a long history of civil wars since the founding of modern India. The state is home to an ethnically diverse group of Sino-Tibetan communities, each with their own unique language, culture and religion.
Like Kashmir to the north, it was once a princely state under British rule and was only incorporated into India in 1949 – two years after the country gained independence from its former colonial masters.
Many in the state disagreed with the move, feeling it was rushed and completed without proper consensus. Since then, the region has grappled with violent insurgencies and ethnic strife that have left hundreds dead and injured over the decades.
The current outbreak of violence is one of the worst in decades.
What triggered the clashes?
On May 3, skirmishes broke out in the country’s capital, Imphal, after thousands of members of the Naga and Kuki tribes took part in a rally against the majority ethnic group, the Meitei, which has been granted special status under India’s Scheduled Tribe group.
The Meitei community, a predominantly Hindu ethnic group that makes up about 50% of the state’s population, has been fighting for years to be recognized as a Planned Tribe, which would give them access to broader benefits such as health, education and government jobs.
A scooter rider rides past a damaged water tanker set on fire during a protest by tribal and non-tribal groups in northeastern Manipur state, India May 4, 2023.
Planned tribes are among the most socio-economically disadvantaged groups in India and have historically been denied access to education and job opportunities, prompting the government to officially recognize certain groups in a bid to right years of injustice.
If the Meitei community is granted the proposed tribal status, other ethnic groups – many of them Christians – fear not having a fair chance for jobs and other benefits.
The clashes turned violent, with videos and photos showing angry mobs setting fire to properties. Eyewitnesses told CNN that houses and churches were burned down as terrified families tried desperately to flee the affected areas.
A teenage tribal leader in Imphal, who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity, said his home was ransacked and destroyed, forcing him to remain in an army camp.
In this picture taken on May 4, 2023, security personnel in Imphal, capital of the Indian state of Manipur, fire tear gas as tribesmen from the Meitei community protest to demand inclusion in the planned tribes category.
“Unfortunately, what we are witnessing here is that there appears to be a very systematic, well-planned series of attacks. The execution is almost clinical and they know very well the houses where people from tribal communities live,” the leader said.
“I narrowly escaped…the mob was already inside. I climbed over the fence to the neighbor’s house. I just got into this camp with my laptop bag. I have nothing.”
What is the focus of the arguments?
The gulf between the Meiteis and the other ethnic groups is sharply cut across political and geographic boundaries.
While last week’s protests appear to have sparked the latest violence, tensions between the two groups have simmered for years over a complex set of issues, including land rights and a crackdown on minority groups.
The Meteis dominate positions within state government and were privy to more economic and infrastructural advances than the other ethnic groups.
They live mainly in the more developed but geographically smaller Imphal Valley, while the Naga and Kuki groups live predominantly in agriculturally rich and geographically larger protected mountain areas.
People wait in temporary accommodation at a military camp after being evacuated by the Indian army while fleeing ethnic violence that has ravaged the northeast Indian state of Manipur May 7, 2023.
The Naga and Kuki groups fear the change in status could result in them being removed from a protected territory they have held for decades, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation.
In addition, tensions have risen in Manipur since the bloody 2021 coup in neighboring Myanmar after thousands of ethnic Chin fled violent crackdowns by the Burmese military.
The Kukis, who belong to the same ethnic group as the Chin, say the government has unfairly cracked down on the group since their arrival, leading to feelings of persecution and abandonment.
What did the authorities say?
Manipur’s Prime Minister N. Biren Singh has called He is “constantly in touch” with India’s Interior Minister Amit Shah to monitor the situation, adding that the situation “continues to improve and normality is returning”.
Shah told Indian news outlet India Today on Monday that the situation is under control. “No person or group needs to be afraid,” he said.
Modi, who is in the southern Indian state of Karnataka to campaign for the state elections, has yet to speak publicly about the unrest, sparking widespread anger among Manipur residents.
Opposition politicians accuse Modi and his BJP of bad governance.
“As the violence in Manipur continues, all sane Indians must be wondering what has happened to the much-vaunted good governance we were promised,” Shashi Tharoor, an opposition party congressman, wrote on Twitter.
CNN has reached out to the state and federal governments but has yet to receive a response.
How is the situation now?
Many people have fled to neighboring states including Mizoram, Meghalaya and Nagaland. Governments of other Indian states have arranged special flights so that their residents can be brought to safety.
The Indian military said about 23,000 civilians have fled the fighting, with displaced people being housed at military bases and garrisons in the state. A May 7 statement said that with the rescue efforts of the 120-125 Army and the Assam Rifles “working tirelessly… to rescue civilians across communities, contain violence and restore normalcy.”
While the level of violence is not as widespread as it was last week, skirmishes continue to break out in some parts of the state.
Photos and video shared with CNN show some Kuki settlements barricading themselves from attack and using wooden poles as makeshift gates. Shopping malls are on fire while reports of looting and arson have surfaced.
And thousands of people remain in makeshift camps, not knowing when they can return home.
Fears swirl about their well-being. Video Posted Many are shown crammed into one building on social media, with women, men and children sleeping next to each other. CNN had not independently verified the video.
Tensions remain high and the situation remains volatile. It’s unclear when or how the unrest will end, but residents of the state and their loved ones outside or abroad have been pushing for calm and the restoration of law and order.
CNN’s Vedika Sud, Sania Farooqui and Kunal Sehgal contributed coverage.