According to officials, crowds attacked homes, cars, churches, and temples during ethnic disturbances in the north-eastern Indian state of Manipur, killing dozens of people.
The violence started last week amid an uprising by native villages over aspirations for tribal recognition made by the dominant ethnic group in the state.
Meitei community members, who make up 53% of the state’s population, have long demanded to be classified as Scheduled Tribes, which would grant them access to forest areas and ensure that they receive a fair share of government employment and admission to educational institutions.
The people that are already recognized as Scheduled Tribes, particularly the Kukis who reside in the hill areas, are concerned that if the Meitei’s claim is granted, they may lose sovereignty over their ancestral forest land.
