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The latest stand-off relates to brewing unrest in the Kuki-dominated hills of Manipur – with an eviction drive to clear forest land of “encroachers”, a call for a "peaceful" protest march that turned violent, and a simmering battle between tribal bodies and the N Biren Singh-led state government.
In a surprise move, the Manipur government withdrew from the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with two hill-based tribal insurgent groups on Friday (March 10), alleging that they were “influencing agitation among forest encroachers”.
This marks the culmination of brewing unrest in the Kuki-dominated hills of Manipur – with an eviction drive to clear forest land of “encroachers”, a call for a “peaceful” protest march in response that turned violent while Section 144 was imposed, and a simmering battle between the Kuki tribal bodies and the state government led by Chief Minister N Biren Singh.
An eviction and a protest
Various departments under the Manipur government, have been sending out notices since August 2022, claiming that 38 villages in the Churachandpur-Khoupum Protected Forest area (in Churachandpur district) are “illegal settlements” and its residents are “encroachers”.
While notices were sent to five villages, the government finally set out on an eviction drive in the K Songjang village on February 20. It culminated in clashes between the residents and the police authorities. To protest against the police action, the Kuki Inpi, the apex tribal body of the Kukis in Manipur, called for a peaceful rally on Friday in the Kuki-dominated districts of...