It was an evening on 3, May, 2023, in Murre district, Manipur. Vidya sat cross-legged beside her father, sharing dinner while happiness hovering in their home, until it was pierced by the sudden crackle of gunfire, loud hubbubs, and the cries of spooked neighbors. In seconds, everything changed. It was the violence that broke out and shattered Vidya’s life.
Vidya, her father, and neighbours ran – oblivion of the situation, unaware what to do, where to go. They hid among bushes, where things seemed tranquil but only momentarily, they noticed Vidya’s father was missing.
Vidya lost her mother when she was just two years old. That night, she lost her father too. Now an orphan, she was evacuated to Imphal and later shifted to a relief camp, along with others who had fled the violence.
On the same day Linthoi Maganbi and his friend had set out on a bike ride to have a gala time but somewhere along the way, they were stopped and “Kidnapped”. Two days later, photos of them started making rounds online. The community pieced the horror together – Linthoi and his friend were missing.
In another part of Manipur, Abhinash, a tenth-grade student preparing for his board exams, and Antony, who had just completed school, set off on a ride to meet a friend. They both were “kidnapped’
In yet another story, a family was shattered and melancholy clinged to their lives. Thongam Ranjita and her husband’s escape had come just in time. They managed to flee the violence that tore through their home in Torbung Bangla. They were fortunately evacuated too. However, on May 11, 2023, Ranjita’s husband decided to return to their to “collect” essentials but he never made it back.
Manipur has “Lost Faith”
May 3, 2023, marks the start of ethnic violence in Manipur. The violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities has claimed over 260 lives. More than 60,000 people have been forced from their homes, and more than 30 people went missing.
Families like that of Vidya, Antony, Ranjita continue to search for their missing members, filing reports, but the authorities has given “no closure to the case.” The people of strife-torn Manipur have “lost faith” says R.K. Bijaylaxmi, a political activist from Manipur.
The people of strife-torn Manipur have “lost faith” says R.K. Bijaylaxmi, a political activist from Manipur.
In Meitei culture, when a deceased person’s body cannot be recovered for the final rites, families turn to a deeply rooted tradition — using a wooden plank carved from the Pangong tree as a symbolic substitute. This custom allows them to perform essential funeral rituals, honour their loved ones, and ensure the proper passage of the soul into the afterlife, as dictated by cultural beliefs.
During the Lanna Thouram, or funeral ceremony, the bark of the Pangong tree is used in place of the body. These symbolic rites hold immense emotional and spiritual value, offering families a way to grieve, seek closure, and uphold their ancestral obligations — especially in moments of collective trauma and loss.
On further conversation with FoEJ Media, Bijaylaxmi said that “Almost all the families have performed the final rituals of the missing people.”
Bijaylaxmi says she told the families “not to perform the final rituals, as performing the final rituals means we are surrendering; we are giving closure to the case.”
PM Modi Visits Manipur After 865 Days of Ethnic Violence
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first visit to the violence-stricken Manipur state, where 260 people have been killed in the ethnic clashes in two years. The violence has reportedly displaced tens of thousands of people who are now living in the makeshift rehabilitation camps set up by the government.
“In order to bring life back on track in Manipur, the government of India is making all possible efforts,” Modi said while addressing thousands in Churachandpur, a Kuki-dominated town, on Saturday.
“I promise you today that I’m with you. The government of India is with the people of Manipur,” Modi said.
While addressing a gathering in Imphal, Prime Minister Modi announced that the central government is backing the construction of 7,000 new homes to aid families displaced by the ongoing conflict in the state.
A Conflict Rooted in History, Land, and Identity
The ethnic violence that erupted in Manipur in May 2023 is the result of decades of unresolved tensions between the Meitei and Kuki communities, intensified by issues of land rights, identity, and political representation. Though the Meiteis make up around 65% of the state’s population and control 40 of the 60 assembly seats, they are barred from buying land in hill areas—a restriction not imposed on hill tribes in the valley.
The ethnic violence that erupted in Manipur in May 2023 was not solely due to the Meitei community’s push for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, though that remains the immediate legal flashpoint. Underlying the unrest is growing tension over land rights, forest access, and identity politics.
The Manipur High Court’s direction to consider ST status for the Meiteis, who make up around 65% of the state’s population and primarily live in the Imphal Valley, was met with sharp opposition from tribal communities, especially the Kukis.
What significantly intensified the situation was the state government’s crackdown on what it described as illegal encroachments in protected forest areas—primarily in Kuki-dominated hill districts.
Many Kukis also see the crackdown as targeting ethnic Chin refugees from Myanmar, further deepening the sense of persecution. The Meiteis, meanwhile, express frustration over restrictions preventing them from owning land in the hills—protections not reciprocated in the valley—adding to the complex web of grievances fuelling the conflict.
