ABSTRACT
For New Delhi, the conflicts in India’s central heartlands and northeastern peripheries are a lesser priority than the politically and strategically more important Kashmir conflict. Thus, both the central and the northeastern conflicts have simmered for several decades, marked by an Indian state approach of containing rather than defeating the insurgencies. Both conflicts are the result of perceived neglect or a fear of assimilation or exploitation, either by the ‘mainland’ or by a class-based or ethnic ‘other’. The Indian central and state governments signed peace deals with eight Assam-based tribal armed groups and the Naga Zeliangrong United Front in September and December 2022, respectively. Concentrated in the Kuki-dominated Churachandpur and Meitei-dominated Imphal West districts, the violence occurred following the Manipur High Court’s recommendation that the majority Meitei community be granted Sixth Schedule status (offering special constitutional protections), which was perceived as a threat to Kuki communities.
