Ethnic tensions deepen in India's Manipur state after May's riots

Volatile situation as armed mobs roam, with reports of firing at army personnel

- Nirmala Ganapathy

In the north-eastern Indian state of Manipur, an outbreak of violence in which around 100 people have been killed over the past two months has deepened ethnic fault lines, creating an internal security challenge for the Narendra Modi government.

Armed mobs continue to move around Manipur, with reports of firing at army personnel on Thursday. Government officials said the situation remained volatile.

Simmering ethnic hostilities erupted on May 3, after members of the Kuki tribe and other hill-living communities held protests against a demand of the Meitei community to be given Scheduled Tribe status.

Mobs then went on the rampage, burning and looting houses and police stations in the days after, and security forces were unable to put a lid on the violence.

Over 3,000 houses have been burnt down or destroyed, along with 221 churches and 17 temples. More than 60,000 people have been forced into over 350 relief camps or have fled the state.

The destructive violence has not spared any ethnic group in Manipur which, apart from the majority Meitei, has 33 ethnic tribes of which the Kukis are the largest group.

Dr Tara Manchiin Hangzo and 22 members of her family were forced to leave Manipur after their four houses in the capital city Imphal were torched and looted by a mob on May 3.