On Wednesday, Union defence minister Rajnath Singh appealed to the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur to end the “trust deficit” between them and engage in “heart-to-heart conversations” to end the six-month-long ethnic clashes that have marred the northeastern state.

He made the comments at an election rally in Mizoram, a state bordering Manipur, which is experiencing the effects of the violence, with more than 13,000 displaced Kukis taking shelter there.

“The Northeast region has been peaceful in the last nine years. Insurgency has ended in every state. To end the violence, I would request both communities to sit together, resolve this issue and end the existing trust deficit. Violence is no solution to any problem. What we need is heart-to-heart conversation,” the defence minister said.

Singh’s remarks came a day after a police officer, a Meitei, was allegedly killed by miscreants at Moreh, a Kuki-dominated town in Manipur bordering Myanmar. The death, which came after weeks of restive peace and the absence of conversations between the two communities, reflects the present situation in Manipur.

Over 180 people from both communities (Kuki and Meitei) and a few security personnel have been killed and over 1,100 injured in the clashes, which started on May 3. As per state government figures till mid-September, 4,786 houses were set on fire and 386 religious structures have been damaged.

The violence has also left over 50,000 homeless, and 32 are still missing. More importantly, the clashes have resulted in the division of the state into two distinct regions—one in Imphal Valley, where Meites are in majority and another comprising a few hill districts where Kukis are predominant.

No person from the other community, including government officials and security personnel, is allowed to enter, move or stay in the other’s region and vice versa.

This division has existed since the first few days of the conflict, but there have been no concrete efforts by the state government and the Centre, both ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to bring the two sides to talk and end the impasse.

Elusive peace

On June 10, the Union home ministry announced the formation of a 51-member peace committee with Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey as chairperson to try and end violence in the state. The committee included chief minister N Biren Singh, a few ministers, MPs, MLAs and representatives of political parties.

The committee, which also included retired bureaucrats, professors, social workers, and civil society leaders had 25 members from the Meitei community, 11 Kukis, 10 Nagas, 3 Muslim members and two from the Gorkha community of the state, was formed after an announcement by Union home minister Amit Shah in Imphal during his four-day visit to the state on June 1.

But within days, the committee ran into trouble with Kuki members refusing to be part of it in protest against the chief minister’s inclusion. Several others stated that they were not consulted before including them in the list and refused to be a part of it. Prominent among them was eminent theatre personality and former chairperson of the National School of Drama, Ratan Thiyam.

“Someone told me my name was on the list. But I haven’t received any official invitation since, and no one has called me to be part of any meeting of the committee. I guess, it has remained non-functional since the start,” said Guru Rewben Mashangva, one of Manipur’s most popular singer-composers and a Padamshri award winner.

Another member of the committee, Chungkham Sheelaramani, a noted educationist, stated: “There has been no information of any kind from the Raj Bhawan or the state government about the committee. I believe it hasn’t met even once after many members refused to be part of it.”

Stalemate continues

Within days of the clashes in May, 10 Kuki MLAs, including seven from the ruling BJP, demanded the creation of a separate administration in areas where members from their community were in the majority. The demand was backed by all Kuki groups who said that Biren Singh must quit office. Those demands have remained unchanged.

“In my opinion, there’s still a lot of hatred between both sides and they are hard in their stances. Common people want peace as they are facing hardships, but that doesn’t seem to be the view of leaders. I don’t see any light in sight. It makes me gloomy, and I don’t even feel like playing my guitar,” said Mashangva.

In another attempt at building trust and ending the hostilities between the two communities, a few weeks ago, senior journalist Pradip Phanjoubam proposed a meeting of Meitei and Kuki journalists.

“The proposal was welcomed by Assam Rifles, who agreed to arrange the meeting at some neutral place where we could discuss all issues. There was willingness from both sides at first, but finally, it didn’t materialize as one backtracked,” said Phanjoubam.

Some feel that laxity by both the state and Centre in addressing the key issues and finding a solution are reasons for the impasse continuing for six months.

“For them, it seems to be more of event management. The state and Centre are disinterested in solving the problem. The structural issues are lurking behind the political optics. That’s why this impasse is likely to continue,” Kham Khan Suan Hausing, head of the political science department at the University of Hyderabad.

The way ahead

Commentators and analysts from both sides feel that the Centre should step up efforts to find solutions and take actions which open avenues for talks and end the cycle of violence.

“Instead of issuing directives from afar, the Centre should actively participate so that it helps build confidence among the people. If removal of the CM helps in making a beginning and removing hurdles that should be done in the larger interest of the state,” said Phanjoubam.

On June 30, CM Singh, who was under fire for his handling of the violence had planned to submit his resignation but decided against it after hundreds of Meitei women in Imphal ‘prevented’ him. He later announced on X that he won’t be resigning “at this crucial juncture”.

“I don’t know why the Centre hasn’t removed him yet. Maybe the BJP thinks that removing him could cost the party politically in Manipur. It’s for the party to decide whether electoral calculations continue to trump issues of constitutional principles and propriety,” said Hausing.

Manipur civil rights activist Irom Sharmila Chanu, who was on fast for 16 years demanding the removal of the contentious Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act from the state, also sought an end to the distrust and hate between Kukis and Meiteis.

“Leaders from both sides need to change their mindsets to address the issue. They should think of the state and not just about their own communities. Some sacrifices are needed from both sides,” she said.

Meanwhile, as many as 100 bodies, six unidentified, are lying unclaimed at mortuaries of government hospitals in Imphal and Churachandpur. And with around 4,000 of the nearly 5,600 arms, which were looted from police stations and government armouries, still in the hands of civilians, fear, gunfights and deaths continue.