Polity & Governance GS 2 In the news 7 times

Internal Security

Ethnic Conflict in Manipur and its Constitutional Dimensions

The Meitei-Kuki-Zo ethnic conflict in Manipur, which began in May 2023, is one of the most serious internal security crises in India's Northeast since the peak of insurgency. It tests constitutional provisions on minority rights, governance of hill areas, and Centre-State security management.

Key details

Background: Violence erupted on May 3, 2023 following a High Court order suggesting the Meitei community be considered for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status — Kuki-Zo communities protested, leading to widespread communal violence.
Constitutional provisions for hill areas: Manipur has a significant tribal population in its hill districts. The Sixth Schedule (Article 244(2)) does not apply to Manipur (it applies to Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram). Manipur's hill areas are governed partly through the Hill Areas Committee of the Manipur Legislative Assembly.
Kuki-Zo demand: A separate Union Territory with Legislature (UT-L) status — i.e., a UT with a directly elected assembly, like Puducherry. This requires amendment of the First Schedule (list of states and UTs) and Article 239A of the Constitution.
Security deployment: The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) is in force in parts of Manipur — gives the armed forces special powers (search, arrest, use of force) in "disturbed areas" designated under AFSPA.
Article 355: Places the obligation on the Centre to protect every state against internal disturbance — invoked to justify central security forces deployment.
Over 200 deaths and 60,000+ displaced persons since May 2023 make this one of India's worst post-independence ethnic conflicts.