Thanglallem Kuki, 32, a teacher at a private school, watched from a hilltop as his village of Kamuching was attacked and burned to the ground, spending two nights in the jungle before being rescued and taken to an army camp. “I want you to consider this as it doesn’t help either community to have these weapons in circulation.” “The other community has promised to surrender their weapons if you do too,” he added. “Are you sure that none of you have any weapons that you would like to surrender?” a senior officer asked a Kuki gathering at a village outside Imphal on Monday.Ī soldier inspects a burnt-out church in Senapati district, Manipur state. According to villagers, Meitei mobs armed with guns and petrol cans then attacked Kuki settlements in the hills.Īuthorities are concerned there could be more reprisal attacks “as both communities have accumulated weapons”, according to an army officer. Violence erupted in the regional capital, Imphal, and elsewhere, with protesters setting fire to vehicles and buildings. The Meiteis say employment quotas and other benefits for the tribespeople would be protected. Minority hill community leaders say the Meitei community is comparatively well-off and that granting them more privileges would be unfair. A form of affirmative action to combat structural inequality and discrimination, that classification would give them guaranteed quotas of government jobs and college admissions. The spark for the latest ethnic clash was a protest about plans to give the Meitei “scheduled tribe” status.
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