Dive into Outlook's latest issue discussing the Adivasi identity politics and Manipur's status war. Explore the implications of recent developments in Jharkhand, Ladakh, and Manipur. How will Adivasis influence the upcoming general elections? What's the impact of violence on Manipuri society? Featuring insights from Outlook's articles. #AdivasiIdentity
#ManipurConflict #OutlookMagazine #TribalPolitics #EthnicRevivalism
#ManipurConflict #OutlookMagazine #TribalPolitics #EthnicRevivalism
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00:00 Outlook brings to you excerpts from its latest issue titled 'Adivasi' or 'The Earliest Inhabitants'.
00:07 This issue of Outlook looks at the politics of appropriation and resistance in the wake of recent
00:13 developments in the states like Jharkhand and the Union Territory of Ladakh. With the general
00:19 elections due this year, it remains to be seen how the Adivasis, who form more than 8% of the total
00:27 population, participate and how the identity politics shape up in the future.
00:33 Status War by Rakhi Bose from Outlook. Nine months of violence have left the once syncretic
00:40 Manipuri society divided between tribalism, ethnic revivalism and religious majoritarianism.
00:48 The roads leading to the mini secretariat in the Kuki-dominated Chura Chandapur district of Manipur
00:54 were chock-a-block with hundreds of protesters on February 15 when security forces opened fire.
01:01 A 15-year-old Kuki youth, resident of the nearby S. Nanveng village, was passing by the commotion
01:08 on his way home when a bullet hit him, killing him instantly. A desolate father,
01:15 Selal Haqib, has dubbed the death of his minor son as an institutional murder. Another civilian,
01:22 Letla Khol Gangte, 29, lost his life in the firing, which left 25 people injured.
01:29 The tragedy seems to have only galvanised the tribals further in their resolve to sever ties
01:35 with the dominant Meti community. Clashes between the Kuki and Meti communities broke out first
01:41 on May 3, 2023 and have since consumed over 180 lives. While violence has become endemic
01:48 across Manipur, the recent conflagration was triggered by the sudden suspension
01:54 of the Kuki Zo Head Constable, Siamla Paul, posted at Chura Chandapur, after images of him
02:01 taking selfie videos with armed men went viral on social media on February 14. In protest,
02:08 around 300-400 Kuki Zo protesters mobbed the offices of Chura Chandapur's Superintendent of
02:14 Police, Shivanan Surve, and Deputy Commissioner, Dharun Kumar. While security forces claim that
02:20 the firing was in retaliation to mob violence, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum has held the SP
02:28 and DC entirely responsible for the deaths. The group has warned that both the SP and DC
02:34 will bear the responsibility of any untoward incident that may fall on them, should they
02:40 choose to stay in Chura Chandapur. The ITLF spokesperson tells Outlook that suspending a
02:46 tribal official for a selfie while ignoring Meti officials openly fraternising with armed militants
02:53 reflects the state's anti-tribal agenda to vilify the Kuki Zo people. The irate activist adds that
03:00 the miscreants in the viral photograph, clicked by Siamla Paul, were volunteers of the village
03:06 defence force and not dangerous members of any suspension of operations groups, as is being
03:12 touted in the media. After nine months of violence, Manipur remains on the boil. The BJP,
03:19 which has been cultivating its tribal vote bank across the country, has maintained a stoic silence
03:25 on the Manipur issue, despite repeated raps from opposition leaders and international human rights
03:32 agencies for its failure to restore peace in the state. Between the Nagas, who have largely
03:37 remained neutral in this war, and the Kuki Zo tribes that inhabit the contiguous hills of
03:43 Manipur and Myanmar, the party seems to be relying on a third kind of tribal.
03:48 For this and more, read the latest issue of Outlook.