Shillong, May 5: Atleast 12 people have been confirmed to have been killed in the widescale ethnic riots in Manipur that erupted on May 3-4. The bodies of the deceased have been kept at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal (RIMS) morgue. However, the casualties from other parts of Manipur suggest a much higher death toll.

With the state government’s failure to maintain the law and order and worsening situation, the Government of India on Thursday invoked the Article 355 of the Constitution of India in Manipur in response to the violence. The Centre has also appointed Ashutosh Sinha, ADGP (Intelligence), as the overall Operational Commander to control the situation in the State.

Article 355 of the Constitution of India empowers the Central government to protect states from internal disturbance and to ensure that the government of every state is carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. This article is based on the principle that the Central government can issue directions to the state government to take appropriate steps for the purpose of protecting the state from internal disturbance. If the state government fails to comply with such directions, the Central government can take direct action to restore law and order in the state.

The violence first erupted in the Torbung area of Churachandpur district during the ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ organised by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) on Wednesday to protest the demand of Meiteis, who account for 53 per cent of the state’s population, for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Reasons for the violence

Two issues in the state have led to the situation. Firstly, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh’s move to protect the forest has faced resistance allegedly from illegal immigrants and drug cartels. The government has been burning poppy cultivation in the hill districts and also conducting eviction drives from the forests.

In addition, the government has been conduction verification drives to identify genuine settlers from the immigrants from Myanmar, who have fled their country following military coup by the junta.

Secondly, the Manipur High Court’s recent direction to the State Government to consider the inclusion of Meitei in ST has led to an outburst from the tribal community who are ST.

Army deployment and current situation

The Indian Army and Assam Rifles have been deployed in Manipur to control the situation, and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has airlifted five companies of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) to the state. The five RAF companies comprise of more than 500 personnel who are experts in controlling riot situations.

The Army and the Assam Rifles are continuing to conduct flag marches in violence-hit Manipur, with additional soldiers being airlifted to the northeastern state. The situation has been brought under control through coordinated actions by all stakeholders, and the Indian Air Force (IAF) undertook continuous sorties from two airfields in Assam employing C17 Globemaster and AN 32 aircraft.

The induction commenced on the night of May 4 and additional columns commenced domination with effect from the wee hours of May 5.

A total of 55 columns of Army and Assam Rifles have been deployed for restoration of law and order, and around 10,000 villagers of different communities were given shelter in Army and Assam Rifles camps in different districts.

Tension prevails in Churachandpur, Senapati, Chandel, Kangpokpi, Tengnoupal and Imphal.