India's Manipur Is Shaken By Ethnic Riots, Officials Implement Curfew

Illustration of riots, conflicts between tribes, riots. (Unsplash-Hasan Almasi)

JAKARTA - Security forces in the state of Manipur, India have imposed a curfew starting today, Tuesday, September 10. The decision was in the aftermath of riots between ethnicities and demonstrations that led to chaos.

Manipur for more than a year has been rocked by ethnic unrest between the majority Hindu Meitei and the mostly Christian Kuki community

At least 11 people died after clashes between the two ethnic groups broke out on Sunday.

Demonstrations then appeared in Manipur Monday 9 September. Mobilized by students, the demonstration protested the existence of ethnic riots in Manipur which openly used homemade weapons to drone attacks.

The demonstration then rioted. The crowd threw stones and plastic bottles at the police officers guarding Imphal's official residence, the capital of Manipur.

Meanwhile, at the same time, demonstrations in other Manipur districts were accompanied by confiscation of police weapons.

"A policeman was hit by a live bullet in the left thigh and another policeman was hit by a projectile," the police statement said, quoted from AFP, Tuesday, September 10.

The tension between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur is thought to stem from fierce competition for land and public work.

In every inter-ethnic riot in Manipur, local human rights activists accuse regional leaders of not reducing tensions instead of making divisions after political gain.