The Manipur conflict which broke out in May 2023, is one of the most terrible episodes of ethnic violence between different ethnic groups in modern India. This ongoing violence has been going on because of conflicts over identity, struggles for land ownership, and political exclusion. The Manipur conflict has killed than 220 people forced over 60,000 people to leave their homes and destroyed the peace between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities in the state.
What Is the Manipur Conflict?
The Manipur conflict is the ethnic violence between the Meitei community who live in the valley and the Kuki-Zo tribes who live in the hills of the northeastern Indian state of Manipur. There has been tension between these groups for decades. Theviolence started on 3 May 2023. It began when the Kuki-Zo tribes held a march to show they were united against a court decision that said the Meitei community should be considered a Scheduled Tribe.
The Kuki-Zo groups were worried that if the Meitei community got the Scheduled Tribe status they would lose their rights to the land in the hills and their reserved seats in the government. These rights are given to Scheduled Tribe communities by the constitution. Within days, the state descended into arson, gunfights, and mass displacement, with the violence concentrated along the valley-hill boundary.
Why this matters: The Manipur conflict is not a problem with law and order. It shows that there are problems with the constitution, like who is considered a native person, who owns the land and how the government of India protects the rights of minority groups within other minority groups.
Root Causes of the Manipur Conflict
To understand the causes and the reasons of the Manipur Conflict, we need to focus on what happened before 2023. Several deep-rooted grievances had been building over time, making the eruption of violence almost inevitable.
- The Demand for Scheduled Tribe Status
The Meitei people make up 53 percent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. They have been asking to be classified as a Tribe for a long time. Kuki-Zo and Naga communities viewed the Manipur High Court’s March 2023 directive—urging the state to examine the demand—as a direct challenge to the reservation benefits they have enjoyed for generations.
- Land Rights and the Inner Line Permit
The hills cover 90 percent of Manipur’s land but only about 10 percent of the people live there. The Inner Line Permit system and special land laws do not let non-tribal people live in the hills. The Meitei people think these laws are not fair and keep them trapped in the valley. The tribes think that if these laws are changed it will hurt their lands.
- Poppy Cultivation and the Narcotics Problem
The government has been trying to stop people from growing poppy in the hills. Some Kuki-Zo villagers thought the government was trying to force them out of their homes. This added to the existing problems between the groups in the Manipur conflict and made it about livelihood and jobs too.
- Armed Groups and Militarisation
Many people in Manipur have access to guns because of a long running insurgency — from groups like the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) to various Kuki militant outfits in ceasefire with the Indian government. When fights started on the streets the armed groups, on both sides made the Manipur conflict much worse quickly.
Timeline of the Manipur Conflict
The situation began to escalate when the Manipur High Court asked the state to examine granting ST status to the Meitei community, a move that triggered strong resistance from tribal groups and led to planned protests.
Tensions soon turned violent during a tribal rally in Churachandpur, where homes and churches were set on fire. Clashes spread sharply across the valley–hill divide, prompting the deployment of the army and central forces.
The unrest rapidly expanded to districts such as Bishnupur, Kangpokpi, and Imphal. Authorities imposed an internet shutdown, and over 37,000 people were displaced within a short span.
Public outrage intensified after a viral video showed two Kuki women being paraded naked, drawing nationwide and international attention and leading the Supreme Court to intervene suo motu.
Even as large-scale violence subsided, sporadic clashes continued. The Supreme Court appointed a three-member committee of retired women judges to assess the situation, but peace efforts did not reach a conclusive outcome.
As the conflict stretched into its third year, there was no formal ceasefire in place. While incidents of violence reduced, the rehabilitation of displaced communities remained an urgent and unresolved issue.
Humanitarian Impact of the Manipur Conflict
The suffering caused by the Manipur conflict is shocking. Many relief camps were set up in schools and government buildings. These camps became homes for tens of thousands of families who had to leave their homes. People struggled to get healthcare, education and jobs. Farmers couldn’t go to their fields. Children missed a lot of school. Women and old people suffered the most.
Incidents of sexual violence—especially the widely reported July 2023 case—highlighted how gender-based brutality was used as a tool within the ethnic conflict.
Beyond the loss of lives, the violence also caused extensive material destruction: thousands of homes, vehicles, and places of worship, including more than 350 churches, were damaged or destroyed, deepening the economic hardship faced by already vulnerable communities.
Government Response to the Manipur Conflict
The state government, led by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh took some steps to handle the Manipur Conflict. They sent security forces to the hill districts and they also used the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in these areas.
The government even put a curfew in parts of the state. They also stopped the internet for a long time, which is one of the longest internet shutdowns in Indian history. This made many civil liberties organisations very unhappy. The Central government got involved in the Manipur Conflict too. They sent Union Home Minister Amit Shah to Imphal in June 2023.
When he visited they announced that they would form peace committees and give money to the victims of the Manipur Conflict. Many people were not satisfied with this response to the Manipur Conflict. They thought that the government did not have a plan to solve the main problems that are causing the Manipur Conflict.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi faced significant political pressure to visit Manipur, which he did in August 2023 — over three months after the violence began — a delay that drew sharp criticism from opposition parties and civil society groups.
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The Path to Peace: Can the Manipur Conflict Be Resolved?
Challenges to Resolution of the Manipur Conflict
Resolving the Manipur conflict demands more than a security solution. The ethnic divide has deepened to the point where both Meitei and Kuki-Zo leaders refuse to share public platforms. The demand for a separate administrative arrangement for hill areas — a “Kuki homeland” — has entered mainstream tribal discourse.
What Experts Say About Ending the Manipur Conflict
Peace and conflict resolution experts highlight three key requirements:
- A credible political dialogue that includes representatives from all affected communities
- Neutral mediation, potentially involving the Supreme Court-appointed committee
- A comprehensive economic rehabilitation plan addressing core grievances such as land rights and livelihood security
At the same time, international human rights organisations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have urged the Indian government to ensure accountability for violence, strengthen civilian protection, and enable the safe return of displaced persons.
Frequently Asked Questions
What started the Manipur conflict in 2023?
The immediate trigger was the Manipur High Court's recommendation to consider ST status for the Meitei community, which prompted a protest rally by tribal groups on 3 May 2023 that escalated into widespread ethnic violence.
Who are the main communities involved in the Manipur conflict?
The primary communities are the Meitei, who mainly inhabit the Imphal Valley, and the Kuki-Zo tribes, who live predominantly in the hill districts. Naga communities have also been affected peripherally.
How many people have died in the Manipur conflict?
Over 220 deaths have been officially reported since May 2023, though civil society groups believe the actual toll may be higher due to underreporting in remote areas.
Is the Manipur conflict still ongoing?
As of 2026, the Manipur conflict has not been formally resolved. Open clashes have become less frequent, but thousands remain displaced and ethnic tensions persist, with no comprehensive peace agreement in place.
What is the Indian Supreme Court's role in the Manipur conflict?
The Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of the crisis in July 2023 and constituted a committee of retired judges to examine the violence, rehabilitation, and law enforcement response in the state.
