Manipur conflict a ‘law and order problem’, says Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram

Jual Oram said the ethnic conflict raging in Manipur for more than a year now is a “law and order situation” that is being dealt with by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram said on Wednesday the ethnic conflict raging in Manipur for more than a year now is a “law and order situation” that is being dealt with by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

This is the first time a Union Tribal Affairs Minister has spoken about the conflict between the valley-based Meitei people and the hills-based Scheduled Tribe Kuki-Zo that has killed over 220 people, injured thousands and internally displaced thousands in the Northeastern State.

In an exclusive interaction with The Hindu, Mr. Oram, who took charge of the Tribal Affairs Ministry last week, said that whenever a conflict of such nature occurs, it is only natural for everyone to look for solutions.

“This problem is actually one of the Home Ministry. Law and Order situation is a State subject. In this, you are asking about this only because one of the parties involved is a tribal community… Who will not want a solution? But this is being handled by the Home Ministry, in coordination with the State government and the Governor there,” Mr. Oram said, adding that it would not be prudent to comment on the issue any further without delving into the specifics.

Earlier this week, in the latest security review meeting he chaired on Manipur, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the MHA would engage with both the communities to “bridge the ethnic divide” between them.

The ethnic conflict in Manipur recently flared up after a spate of violence escalated tensions in Jiribam, a district known to have maintained relative peace throughout last year. After the body of a Meitei farmer was found by locals, arson and an abduction were reported, with more than 1,000 people – Meitei, Kuki-Zo and Hmar – being evacuated from villages.

Mr. Oram, who was the country’s first Tribal Affairs Minister after the Ministry was created in 1999, also held the portfolio between 2014 and 2019 in the first Narendra Modi-led Union Cabinet.