Christians in northeast India marked the second anniversary of violence that struck Manipur in 2023. As the anniversary passed, a lasting peaceful solution to the brutal ethnic and communal conflict that erupted between the Hindu-majority Meitei and Christian-majority Kuki-Zo communities in Manipur is still nowhere in sight.

The violent and bloody clashes claimed more than 250 lives, displaced more than 60,000 people, and reduced thousands of homes, churches, temples, and other religious buildings to ashes.

The anniversary was marked with mass gatherings, shutdowns in both the Meitei-dominant Imphal valley and the Kuki-zo-dominated hill districts, bringing life to a grinding halt across Manipur on May 3.

The National United Christian Forum (NUCF) of India expressed deep concern over the continued violence in Manipur, calling upon the federal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to take decisive measures to restore peace and disarm all militant groups.

The NUCF is a forum of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), and the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI).

In a statement signed by leaders of the three organizations, the NUCF said, “We are distressed by the suffering inflicted on all communities in Manipur, where over 250 lives were lost and more than 60,000 people were displaced from their homes. The destruction of over 300 churches and numerous homes represents not just buildings, but places where families and communities gathered to worship, find comfort, and build fellowship.”

One of the most gruesome images from the conflict that has seared the collective conscience is from footage of a naked woman, belonging to the Kuki community, being paraded on a public road while being fondled by men and later being taken into a nearby field where she was raped.

Today, the harrowing realities of those who lived through this conflict and the scars of destruction are visible at every corner, deepening the divide between the two communities.

Public outrage over the state government’s inaction only intensified the unrest. Things have not improved even though the BJP government in New Delhi sacked the chief minister and imposed president’s rule, or central government rule.

The pertinent note is the communal background that led to the ethnic clashes. According to reports, the predominantly Hindu Meiteis make up 51% of the population and historically have held more political, cultural, and social capital. The minority Kuki-Zo tribes, who make up 14% of the population, are predominantly Christians and have been protected under the scheduled tribe status, through which the Indian government recognizes historically marginalized tribal communities.

A special provision in the Indian Constitution reserves land in Manipur’s hill districts for these protected tribes. The Meiteis mostly live in the valley and are barred from purchasing land in the hills.

Hence, the state government and valley-based civil society organizations have allegedly attempted to portray Kuki-Zo tribes as “illegal immigrants” or “not Indigenous” so that their claim to the land could be scrutinized and Meiteis could be granted scheduled tribe status.

These simmering fault lines sparked into clashes when the High Court gave a ruling in favor of the Meiteis. By the time the Supreme Court usurped the order, the violence escalated out of control.