IMPHAL: The year 2024 was not kind to the people of Manipur as it witnessed another year of turmoil. The ethnic violence between Kukis and Meiteis which began in May 2023 continues to this day.
The civilians witnessed human casualties, widespread violence, mob attacks and drone strikes as the divide between the Meitei community in the valley and the Kuki tribes in the hills deepened in 2024.
Long gone are the days when Manipur was known for its cultural harmony as the state is now going through its deepening divisions, with thousands displaced and communities living in constant fear.
There is no light in the end of the tunnel as these tensions show no signs of easing and peace remained a far cry in the year gone by.
The year 2024 started on a violent note for the people of Manipur. Four villagers were gunned down by cadres of the banned Peoples' Liberation Army in Thoubal district on January 1.
This incident, linked to disputes over money collected through illegal drug trade, was followed by the state government imposing prohibitory orders in all five valley districts.
Soon after this, a month later, armed miscreants vandalised the property of additional SP Moirangthem Amit Singh at Wangkhei Tokpam in Imphal East district, abducting him and one of his escorts. They were later rescued from Kwakeithel Konjeng Leikai area in Imphal West district, about 5 km from the incident site.
Amid the tension between Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities, the nation witnessed an intense political battle- the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The first phase of polling in Manipur witnessed widespread violence, including incidents of firing, intimidation, destruction of EVMs at some polling booths, and allegations of booth capturing from multiple parties. While the second phase of polls passed off peacefully.
The ethnic violence took a new turn in June, when a man was found dead in the Jiribam district bordering Assam. This triggered the violence which was previously confined to Imphal valley and surrounding districts of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi and Moreh border town in Tengnoupal district to spread across borders.
The state saw a fresh wave of ethnic violence as gunfights, widespread arson, and the torching of houses between members of the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities intensified during this period.
This also led to the internal displacement of more than 1000 people in the previously peaceful district.
On September 1, suspected Kuki youths dropped drone-operated bombs at Koutruk village and nearby Senjam Chirang in Imphal West district triggering a new kind of warfare. This incident led to the death of a woman and nine injured.
Days after this incident, an elderly man and five others were injured after an unguided rocket missile was fired from the hill ranges of Churachandpur district at Moirang in Bishnupur district.
Intense clashes between students and security forces in Imphal also led to 50 students being injured amid increasing attacks on peripheral villages.
The attack of armed Kuki-Zo youths against Borobekra police station and Jakuradhor Karong locality in Jiribam district on November 11 triggered a gunfight between security forces and the attackers. This led to the death of 10 Kuki youths.
Eight persons, including three women and three children, who were internally displaced were missing several hours after the incident.
A series of incidents took place on November 12 which included the recovery of charred bodies of two elderly Meitei men among the burnt debris at Jakuradhor, a purported photo of the women and children in captivity on social media and a general shutdown across Imphal Valley and Jiribam to protest the abduction.
The situation further worsened after the bodies of three women and three children were found near the confluence of Jiri River and Barak River along the Manipur-Assam border on November 15.
As protests intensified, mobs targeted the residences of valley-based legislators, attacked and set fire to vehicles and properties of BJP leaders.
So far, more than 250 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence which continues with no end in sight.
