There is agitation in the area as a result of the Manipur government’s declaration that Easter is a working day. Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey reportedly said that government offices, businesses, and autonomous organisations will be closed on March 30 and 31. This year, Easter, a Christian holiday, falls on March 31. The decision made by the state government has caused controversy because of the stark ethnic difference that exists in Manipur.
An umbrella organisation for tribal organisations, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), claimed that the government’s choice would be detrimental to the views of the Christian community.
In Manipur, there are a lot of Christians. Easter Sunday falls on Sunday, so it’s a day of rest,” an ITLF spokesman told the news agency.
The Manipur government has also been urged to reverse the decree by the highest body of the Naga student group Poumai Naga Tsiidoumai Me.
One of the greatest ethnic conflicts between the Kuki and Meitei populations occurred in Manipur last year, resulting in over 50,000 people being displaced and hundreds of fatalities.
The disputes started when the Kuki tribal group fought with the Meitei ethnic majority, a non-tribal population, over the distribution of economic benefits and quotas granted to the tribes.
The Manipur High Court’s recommendation that the government take the Meitei’s request into consideration and give them till mid-May 2023 gave them a boost in April 2023, after they had been requesting special advantages for nearly ten years.
Since Meiteis make about half of Manipur’s population, giving them access to limited affirmative action quotas would let them to compete for government jobs and educational opportunities that are currently only available to Kukis and Nagas. According to the 2011 census, 40.1% of Manipur’s population is Christina, and they are primarily from the Kukis, Zo, and Nagas tribes.
The Meiteis have traditionally inhabited the wealthier valley region of Manipur, which accounts for 10% of the state’s total land. On the other hand, Kukis and Nagas reside in the underdeveloped hills.
The primary source of competition between the two groups is the development imbalance that favours the valley over the hills.
