Amnesty report condemns government inaction amid Manipur violence

By Xavier Sartre

Since 3 May 2023, at least 200 people have been killed and more than 60,000 displaced in India’s north-eastern state of Manipur where ethnic violence continues unabated.

Amid the apparent inability of the Indian authorities to protect human rights in the region, homes, businesses, villages and places of worship have also been burnt down, attacked, looted and vandalised.

The clashes between the dominant Meitei community and the minority Kuki and other tribal hill communities have reportedly led to a crackdown only on those who have dared to speak out.

A just-released report by human rights group Amnesty International condemns the security vacuum and disinterest of the authorities amid deadly violence in the region that borders Myanmar.

“The state and central governments’ blatant failure to end abuses, protect people and hold suspected perpetrators to account in Manipur have left communities terrified and devastated. The authorities’ 14-month long course of inaction and impunity must end immediately," says the Amnesty report that was published on Wednesday, July 17.

Speaking to Vatican Radio, Aakar Patel, chair of board at Amnesty International India, points out the newly re-elected Prime Minister has been conspicuously absent:

"The Indian Prime Minister has not visited the area even once," he says, noting that "He did not visit during the campaign for the general elections that took place earlier this year, he has spoken about the state only two or three times. It is curious and sad to see that he has not shown enough interest".

The same indifference is shown by the regional authorities, also labelled BJP. "I suspect they do not want to be seen as having failed in terms of security. That is why the local government has not managed to remove the chief minister, who is the local leader responsible for the state. I think this has allowed the violence to continue," Patel explains.

Massive displacement

As a consequence of this violence, some 60,000 people are now forced to live in camps for Internally Displaced Persons.

They live in very precarious conditions, with only basic necessities, food, and shelter, Patel says, adding that he believes "the government needs to do much more to ensure that these people are rehabilitated in the best possible way."

"And I think one of the outcomes we should seek is to ensure that conditions are created for them to return home. For now, nothing is being done in this area," he laments.

Patel says one of his main concerns regards the fact that "nothing else happens and nothing changes and these people continue to stay in the camps."

As a consequence of more than a year of unpunished crimes, Patel adds, Manipur is now divided territory; the valley is almost devoid of Kuki tribes, and there are other areas with no Meitei left.

Activists threatened

Human rights activists and journalists have great difficulty reporting what is happening on the ground.

Amnesty's report mentions several cases where activists are clearly threatened by members of the Meitei militias. Here too, the authorities do nothing to protect them, sometimes even intimidating them. No one is allowed to raise awareness about what is happening.