Imphal/Guwahati
The sharp divisions between the State’s tribal and Meitei communities lay yet again exposed on Wednesday as the two sides were out on the streets to press for their respective stands.
Thousands thronged the ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ in all the 10 hill districts to express dissent at the persistent demands of the Meitei community for its inclusion in the ST category.
The All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) had given the call for the ‘March’. Tribals from interior hill areas came in buses and open trucks to the nearest hill district headquarters to attend the rallies. Those in the rallies waved placards and raised slogans opposing ST status to the Meitei community. The rallies saw the participation of even school students.
However, counter blockades were put up in the valley districts, including at Sugnu in Kakching district, in support of granting ST status to Meiteis. Protesters shouted slogans demanding ST status for the community and protection of reserved and protected forests.
No untoward incident was reported from anywhere though till late evening.
The Meiteis inhabit the Manipur valley, which constitutes around 10 percent of the area of the State. They are not allowed to settle in the hill areas as per the existing law. But the Meiteis say they are facing difficulty in view of the large-scale illegal immigration by Myanmarese and Bangladeshis.
The lawmakers of the valley areas are openly endorsing the Meitei demand and there is a need for appropriate measures to collectively protect the tribal interests, the ATSUM said.
The Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee Manipur (STDCM), spearheading the movement for the inclusion of the Meiteis in the ST category for more than a decade, said the demand was not merely for reservation in jobs, educational institutions and tax relief but more about protecting the ancestral lands, culture and identity of the Meitei people, threatened consistently by illegal immigrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh.
In Senapati town, the local bodies forced a total shutdown of markets and a three-hour suspension of public transport from 10 am to ensure that the maximum number of demonstrators participated in the rally.
Similar rallies were also held at Tengnoupal, Chandel, Kangpokpi, Noney, Ukhrul.
In Manipur’s second largest town Churachandpur, people defied prohibitory orders to gather at the public ground and took out a rally.
The prohibitory orders have been in place since last week following the violence that erupted during a protest against the drive to evict villagers from reserve forest areas.
Additional security forces were rushed to the town from other parts of Manipur to control the situation after the vandalisation of a venue where Chief Minister N Biren Singh was scheduled to address a programme.
While the Meitei community accounts for around 53 per cent of Manipur’s population, tribals make up for more than 40 per cent of the population but are spread across 90 percent of the state territory.
