(An opposition politician has even invoked dark parallels to the Rwandan genocide, where the role of the state is well documented.) Manipur’s internet ban, now partially lifted, underlines institutional paranoia about controlling the narrative. The use of state machinery to aid the majoritarian project in Manipur recalls the 2002 Gujarat riots targeting the state’s Muslim population, which occurred while Modi was chief minister. In Manipur, the Meitei community sees itself as the state’s original inhabitants, replicating the use of violence against Kukis and others whom it perceives as outsiders. This apparent political ineptitude falls in line with the BJP’s Hindutva ideology, which identifies Hindus as India’s rightful inhabitants, justifying violence against religious minorities. On Tuesday, India’s Supreme Court described the violence as “an absolute breakdown of law and order.” The presence of federal forces in Manipur hasn’t improved the situation: New Delhi’s strategy has instead divided the state, burning bridges between the Meiteis and Kukis. The crisis has not subsided, and thousands of weapons stolen from police armories are still circulating among mobs. His state government imposed an internet shutdown for weeks, hindering the spread of information. More cases of sexual assault have come to light in the past two weeks, but Singh-a member of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-now denies that the women in the May 4 video were raped. Biren Singh has carved out a role for himself as the Meitei community’s de facto leader. Violence between the Meitei ethnic majority and the Kukis has hounded Manipur since May, when a court order reserving some government jobs for Meiteis exacerbated tensions over land rights, poppy farming, and religious freedoms. Ironically, the police station a few hundred yards from the site of the crime was awarded the “Best in the Country” title in 2020. Reports citing the survivors’ families revealed the complicity of the state police. The footage, which became public only last month, sparked outrage far beyond the state: Filmed on May 4, it shows a mob assaulting two women from the Kuki minority-stripped naked-before pushing them into an empty field. It took a viral video for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to finally break his silence on ongoing ethnic violence in the northeastern state of Manipur.
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