Ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo peoples have killed more than 140 and displaced more than 50,000 people in the span of two months in the remote Himalayan state of Manipur. The conflict broke out after courts considered granting the Meitei the Scheduled Tribe status extended to the Kuki-Zo, a distinction which helps to provide education and job opportunities. While the ethnically divided Munipur has experienced unrest before, it has never been to this level, with some going as far as to call it a civil war. The courts’ announcement has sparked years of tension and unrest into protests and violence, and the situation remains volatile as skirmishes continue to break out across the state.

The Meitei are the majority ethnicity in Manipur; making up a narrow 50% of the population, largely Hindu, and concentrated around the state capital Imphal in central Manipur. According to an article by Al Jazeera, they trace their ancestry to the region’s royalty, with both the state’s chief minister and 40 of the region’s 60 legislators being Meitei. Many enjoy also privileges from government quotas under the Scheduled Caste, Other Backwards Castes, and Economically Weaker Section categories.

On the other hand, according to a report published by CNN, the predominantly Christian Kuki-Zo tribe comprise only 40% of the population, along with the similarly oppressed Nagas. Their status as a Scheduled Tribe, a designation given to India’s historically marginalized groups, is a constitutional provision aimed to protect India’s Indigenous population through the reservation of academic institutions and government jobs. These peoples fear that the Meitei’s change in status could lead to the status’s exploitation and have expressed feelings of abandonment and persecution, worrying that their own people may not have a fair chance at securing those benefits.

Many have criticized the government for not doing enough to stop the violence or to address the ethnic divide underlying the tensions, but despite the widespread violence, officials claim that the situation is under control. Manipur’s chief prime officer N. Biren Singh has said that he is “constantly in touch” with Home Minister Amit Shah to monitor the situation, hoping that it “continues to improve and normalcy returns.”

“As the Manipur violence persists, all right-thinking Indians must ask themselves what happened to the much-vaunted good governance we had been promised,” said Shashi Tharoor, a lawmaker from the opposition Congress party.

Ending the violence and ceasing escalations on both sides as quickly as possible is vital to Manipur’s stability. Attacking each other and burning houses does not bring either side any closer to achieving the goal they initially protested for. Therefore, Manipur needs to take both sides’ frustrations seriously and make changes to minimize the chances of similar unrest breaking out in the future.