There was turmoil in Manipur in the year 2024. Peace once again seemed far from the state. Things sometimes seemed normal, but not completely. The divide between the Meitei community in the valley and the Kuki tribes in the hills deepened in 2024, leading to loss of life, widespread violence, mob attacks and drone attacks on civilian areas.
The state, once known for its cultural harmony, is now facing deepening divisions, with thousands of people displaced and communities living in constant fear, while tensions show no sign of abating and peace in the past year remains elusive. Remained a penny.
The year began with violence, when on January 1, four villagers were shot dead by activists of the outlawed People’s Liberation Army in Thoubal district. The incident was linked to a dispute over money collected from the illegal drug trade, leading the state government to impose prohibitory orders in all five districts of the valley.
A month later, armed miscreants stormed the residence of Additional SP Moirangthem Amit Singh at Wangkhei Tokpam in Imphal East district and vandalized his property. During the incident, the Additional SP and one of his colleagues were abducted by armed miscreants and later rescued from Kwakethel Konjeng Leikai area of Imphal West district, about 5 km from the incident site.
The Lok Sabha elections were held in April against the backdrop of intense ethnic tensions between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities. The second phase of elections remained peaceful, while the first phase witnessed widespread violence, including firing, threats, destruction of EVMs at some polling stations and allegations of booth capturing by several parties.
For the first time, caste violence, which was earlier confined to the Imphal Valley and adjoining districts of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi and the Moreh border town in Tengnoupal district, took a new turn in June when a man was found dead in Jiribam district bordering Assam. Took it. The incident sparked a new wave of ethnic violence, widespread arson, shootings and burning of houses among members of the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities.
More than 1,000 people were internally displaced in this previously peaceful district, home to multiple communities, following gun attacks by armed groups from related communities.
The state also witnessed a new type of war when suspected Kuki youths dropped drone-operated bombs in Kotruk village and nearby Senjam Chirang in Imphal West district on September 1, killing one woman and injuring nine people.
A few days later, an unguided rocket missile was fired from the hills of Churachandpur district at Moirang in Bishnupur district, killing an elderly man and injuring five others. Amid increasing attacks on peripheral villages and resulting civilian deaths, fierce clashes broke out between students and security forces in Imphal, in which more than 50 students were injured.
On 11 November, armed Kuki-Zo youths attacked Borobekara police station and Jakuradhor Karong area in Jiribam district. After this, firing started between the security forces and the attackers, in which 10 Kuki youths were killed.
A few hours later it was revealed that eight people were missing, including three women and three children – all internally displaced people. On 12 November, charred bodies of two elderly Meitei men were found amid burnt debris in Jakuradhor. The same day, a purported photo of women and children being held captive went viral on social media, sparking outrage among the Meitei community. In the evening, a general bandh was called in Imphal Valley and Jiribam to protest against the kidnapping.
The situation worsened after bodies of three women and three children were found near the confluence of Jiri River and Barak River on the Manipur-Assam border on 15 November.
A day later, protests broke out in the Imphal Valley, when mobs targeted the residences of MLAs of the valley. They also attacked and set fire to vehicles and properties of BJP leaders. More than 250 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between the Kuki-Jo groups living in the Meitei and surrounding hilly areas of the Imphal valley since May last year.
